Deputy Belikov: Civil War
by Llaria6
Summary: The year is 1861. Sheriff Dimitri Belikov has been married to Rose - his wife/deputy - for a year, but not even their great love can hide them from the far reaches of the Civil War. New friendships will be forged, and old secrets revealed as Deputy Belikov races across the country to be with the man she loves. Original Pairings, All Human.
1. Reunion

**_WELCOME BACK TO THE WILD WEST!_**

 _ **It's probably been a while since you read Deputy Belikov, so here's a quick refresher...**_

 _When Dimitri returned Rose and Lisa home to Saint's Town, Sheriff Alberta Peterson appointed him as her deputy. Working side by side, Rose and Dimitri had to solve the mystery of Sonya Karp's disappearance, take down the outlaw James Nathan, and stop Victor Dashley's wicked plan to marry Lisa for her gold-rich lands. Amid all the drama, forbidden love flourished between Deputy Belikov and his Roza, and they finally consummated their love after their secret wedding night in the cabin._

 _The sequel is set a year later - November 1861 - when Sheriff Dimitri Belikov returns to Saint's Town with the new Deputy Belikov - his wife Rose!_

 ** _Now we're all up to date, let us begin..._**

* * *

 **1\. Reunion**

'Christian! They're here! Come quickly!' the pretty blonde woman had been haunting the front window of her ranch homestead all morning in wait of important guests, the constant false alarms driving her reclusive husband into the safety of his study.

'Who's here?' Christian peered out from his hideaway, nursing a large snifter of brandy. The quality of the young gentleman's suit marked him as a person of class and wealth, but there was an air of rebellion about him, as evidenced by the dark mop of hair sweeping across his forehead and the brooding, intelligent expression in his eyes.

Ordinarily, Lisa O'Hara had the patience of a saint, but the round, hard swelling pressing uncomfortably against the waistline of her dress had significantly reduced her tolerance for her husband's dry sense of humour. She huffed in exasperation and hurried to the front door, throwing it open to reveal the person she had been longing to see.

'Rose! You're really here!' Mrs O'Hara squealed in excitement, wrapping the traveller in a tight embrace and nearly squeezing the life out of her. 'Or should I call you _Deputy Belikov_ now?!' she added cheekily when she pulled back to look at her friend; taking in the smart riding habit and hat - both damp from the early November drizzle - and the gleaming brass star pinned to Rose's jacket.

'Depends if you've done anything I need to arrest you for!' the other girl grinned, peering beyond the doorway and into the house. 'Where's the freeloader?'

Lisa rolled her eyes. 'Just because Christian moved into my house when we got married doesn't make him a freeloader,' she scolded, unable to fathom the childish bickering that broke out every time her best friend and her husband were in the same room. 'He does have a job you know, and he's been working tirelessly to get the ranch ready for this little one.'

Rose's smile faltered briefly as her attention darted down to the bump between them, nearly hidden by her friend's puffy skirts. 'I still can't believe it. I'm so happy for you.' She meant it genuinely but her voice lacked the warmth she was trying to convey, so she made up for it with another bone-crushing hug.

'Thank you,' Lisa whispered, and the pair clung to one another a little longer, each hoping the physical closeness would somehow erase all the months they had been apart.

The last year had been hard on them both - separated by great distance and troubled by reports of a terrible war spreading in the southern states - and no matter how many letters had been sent and received in that time, there was so much yet to share that could only be spoken face to face.

'Actually, it's _me_ who should be thanking _you_ ,' Rose disagreed, dropping her arms so the two friends were linking hands. 'Dimitri and I assumed we would still be living in Silver Springs when his family arrived from Russia, but then we got the news that Alberta needed us back in Saint's Town. I honestly don't know what we would have done with my hoard of Russian in-laws if you hadn't offered to let them stay with you at Cottonwood Creek. Are you sure it won't be a burden having so many house-guests, especially in your condition?' she motioned to the bump.

Lisa shook her head decisively. 'Quite the opposite. I've been looking forward to their arrival from the moment I received your letter. This house used to be so full of life before...'

They fell quiet for a moment, thinking of the wagon accident that killed Lisa's family and changed both of their lives forever.

'When Christian goes away for work I get so lonely here with only memories for company. It will be a pleasure having a family to share my home with again - however long they need to stay. Plus, it's an excellent excuse to get you to come and visit me - often, if you please!'

'Don't you worry about that, Lis,' Rose grinned at the wheedling tone she recognised so well. 'Now we live so close to one another again you won't be able to keep me away!'

And with that assurance, the easiness between them began to return, just like it always did - no matter how long or how far apart they might have been.

'I'll hold you to that, missy,' Lisa did her best to sound threatening. 'And I don't care how tough your sheriff husband might think he is - _I_ was friends with you long before he came along, so he will just have to share you with me whether he likes it or not.'

The sound of footfalls alerted the women that they were no longer alone, and they both looked around with flushed, happy faces to see a tall Russian climbing the stairs to the porch, a carpet travelling-bag in each hand. He paused at the top of the steps to wipe his boots - trying to rid them of any last traces of mud and slush that had collected on his short walk from stabling the horses - then made his way over to stand by his wife.

'Good afternoon, Mrs O'Hara,' the handsome cowboy greeted their host, shifting both bags into one hand so he could remove his hat; dark, shoulder-length hair falling loosely over his face as he dipped his head in respect. 'It is good to see you looking so well.'

Dimitri Belikov seemed even larger than Lisa remembered him. While his towering height remained the same, the man had filled out a little over the past year - the ruddiness to his face a clear sign of a healthy man, well fed and cared for by a wife who loved him.

'Welcome back, Sheriff Belikov,' Lisa responded, flattered by the compliment and somewhat overawed by the big man's presence. 'Thank you for bringing Rose home safely. I missed her so much while the two of you were away in Silver Springs. Please tell me you're here to stay this time?'

'It's Dimitri, please,' the traveller amended quietly, 'and yes - as far as we know, we're back in Saint's Town for good,' he gazed down at the woman by his side; brown eyes meeting brown eyes, relaying the hopes and concerns they both shared for the year ahead.

While the sheriff was a man of few words, his wife was not, and she took over the lead in the conversation.

'Alberta had planned to retire and move in with Hank Croft on their twelfth wedding anniversary,' Rose explained, 'but then the war started and Hank signed up with the union troops stationed at Fort Douglas. He said the only person he could entrust Greenston to was the Great Sheriff Peterson, so she's there... and we're here. It's hard to say exactly what the coming months will hold for us, given the circumstances,' Rose glanced up at Dimitri once more, tucking her hand into his, 'but whatever happens we see our future here in Saint's Town.'

'Well, thank God for that,' a new voice spoke up, Rose's nose automatically crinkling as Christian O'Hara joined them at the door. 'I don't think I could go one more day listening to my wife read your ridiculous, sentimental letters aloud. _Dimitri_ this, and _Dimitri_ that...'

'At least I can write!' the offended party retorted in an instant. 'I'd be surprised if you've advanced beyond flinging your own faeces as a method of communication.'

Dimitri and Lisa glanced at one another, the same look of resignation on both of their faces. The relationship between Rose and Christian had been rocky from the onset, with the former thinking the latter an insensitive pig, and the latter believing the former to be a nosy, overbearing shrew. Hostilities cooled briefly when the deaths of Mason Ashford and Natalie Dashley hung heavily on them all, but the squabbling resumed the afternoon of Rose and Dimitri's wedding when Christian gleefully alluded to a certain treehouse tryst in his toast to the bride and groom.

'I'm not even going to dignify that with a response,' Christian shot her a look of disdain before turning his attention to the Russian cowboy, his mood livening up immediately. 'Welcome to our humble home, sheriff. I see your little wife there has a toy badge pinned to her jacket. Did you two open your Christmas crackers early this year?'

Dimitri was wise enough to stay well clear of the argument; watching on with mild amusement to see how Rose would respond to the insult. He would happily defend his wife's honour in any matter - great or small - but he knew she would want to take care of this tormenter herself.

Before Rose could launch a counter-attack, however, Lisa took charge of the situation.

'Play nicely, you two,' she warned, refusing to allow the reunion to get off to a bad start. 'I'm sure Christian is only speaking in jest, Rose,' the diplomat patted her friend's arm, 'And you,' she turned on her husband with a forbidding expression. 'Don't be forgetting that Rose is a real deputy now - with the power to lock you in jail or send you to the gallows if you really upset her - so keep a civil tongue in your head and we'll all get along just fine. Rose, darling, come inside and we'll get you something warm and dry to wear. Dimitri, could you keep my husband out of trouble for an hour or two please? Mrs Belikov and I will be unavailable until dinner.'

Shocked into impressed silence, the two men watched as their wives flounced down the hallway towards one of the guest rooms; their haughty departure made slightly less dignified by Rose, who turned at the last moment to poke out her tongue.

* * *

'Six months - I can't believe I haven't seen you since you were matron of honour at my wedding last April!' Lisa exclaimed, assisting Rose in stripping down to her petticoats and laying out her friend's damp hat and riding dress by the fireplace. 'So much has hap-,' she cut off mid-sentence as she returned from across the room, catching sight of three small tattoos on the back of Rose's neck. 'Another two?' she frowned, reaching out to touch the new crosses that stood like tombstones on either side of Natalie's mark.

The other woman stiffened at the contact, hastening to reach for the pale-green, winter day-dress that was laid out for her on the bed. It had taken months for Rose to truly come to terms with the fact she had killed Natalie Dashley - a girl she had once considered a friend - and she still didn't feel entirely comfortable talking about the lives she had taken.

'Who were they? Why didn't you tell me?' Lisa demanded. It wasn't meant as an accusation, but that's how it sounded.

'It was just a gang of cattle wranglers,' the deputy shrugged her dress on over her shoulders, glad - for once - of its high collar. 'There were five of them. We had them corralled up against a rock face and told them if they put down their weapons then nobody would get hurt. Their leader aimed his gun at me and Dimitri shot him in the chest. The others retaliated. So did we.'

Lisa's face was ashen.

Rose sighed, tightening the belt at her waist then moving to put an arm around her friend. 'This is why I didn't tell you, Lis. I don't want your worrying about me - it's not good for you... or the baby.'

'But...'

'And I don't want to hear any lectures about how I should stop putting myself in dangerous situations,' she added emphatically. 'Yes, being a deputy is dangerous work, but I have Dimitri to keep me safe, and I keep him safe too. We're both okay, really.'

Lisa still looked unconvinced but Rose wasn't going to let their first proper catch-up in six months turn into an argument.

'Anyway, enough talk about me and my crazy life,' she announced, her eyes coming to rest on the swollen curve of Lisa's abdomen. 'I've been dying to hear all about you!' she dragged the pregnant woman over to the guest bed and helped her up so they were sitting with their backs against the headboard, tuning in to face one another with cheeky smiles just like they had when they were younger. 'Tell me all.'

'Well...,' Lisa's expression was dreamy. 'Christian came back from a swim in the creek one afternoon and his shirt was all clingy, and...' .

The deputy's eyes widened in understanding then she gagged dramatically, raising her hands to scrabble at the air in front of her face in an effort to fend off the distressing images that were flooding to her mind.

'Ugh! Stop!' Rose implored her. 'Not _that_ part,' she shuddered at the thought of Christian O'Hara doing his husbandly duty. 'I meant... tell me about the pregnancy. How are you feeling?'

Lisa blushed scarlet and fell into a fit of giggles at the misunderstanding, but eventually sobered up enough to talk.

'I'm well enough, considering. Five months along already. Doctor Sage said to expect a baby by the end of February - early March at the very latest,' a hint of concern flickered across her face.

'What's wrong?' her friend asked at once, alert to the sudden change in mood. 'Are you worried about the birth?'

'Not exactly,' Lisa toyed with her wedding ring. 'I'm prepared for the pain, it's just... I always thought my mother would be here to help me through it,' she looked up, searching for reassurance. 'I really wish she was here.'

'Oh, Lis,' Rose gave her arm a squeeze. 'I wish she was here too. I know it won't be the same without her, but you'll be well looked after. Dimitri told me his mother, Olena, has helped to deliver dozens of babies in their village back in Russia - including her three grandchildren - and Doctor Sage can be sent for if there are any signs of trouble.'

Lisa looked glum.

'The doctor won't be available. He's been drafted to serve as military doctor for the regiment at Fort Freemont - forty miles west of here.'

Forty miles... The deputy ran a few sums in her head. The journey to Saint's Town would take nine hours by coach or over three hours on horseback - and that was even if the doctor could be excused from his duties at the fort. If there was a serious complication in the birth, that wouldn't be fast enough.

'I only found out a few weeks ago,' the pregnant woman went on to explain. 'The Union army is so desperate for medical personnel on the frontlines that Doctor Sage has had to pull his daughter Sydney out of medical school so she can assist him as a volunteer nurse. The doctor said if I had any concerns about the birth I should speak with Mrs Mastrano next door, but I wouldn't feel comfortable discussing personal matters with Emily,' she winced at the thought. 'I've tried to be warm and welcoming towards her, but I have a feeling she doesn't like me very much.'

'You think Jill's mother doesn't like you?' Rose's eyebrows shot up. 'Whatever gives you that idea?'

'She just... looks at me strangely,' Lisa wrinkled her nose, making her friend laugh.

'Don't worry about her then,' Rose advised decidedly. 'You still have Olena, and Christian, and I know literally _nothing_ about babies, but you have me too. You won't be alone. We can do this together.'

Lisa's face relaxed a little and she looked at the girl beside her through grateful eyes. 'I've always been able to count on you, Rose. You don't know how much it means to me to have your support.'

They shared a moment of quiet friendship, simply listening to the crackling fire and the muted sounds of Dimitri and Christian talking down the hall, until Rose finally spoke up; a strange, almost vulnerable tone to her voice.

'So... how did you know?' she asked, eyes cast down on her knotted fingers. 'How did you know you were expecting?'

Lisa looked at her curiously. 'Well, I had my suspicions when I missed one of my monthlies. When the second month passed without the usual signs I knew that was it. Why do you ask?'

'The monthlies...,' Rose struggled to put her thoughts into words. 'They haven't been the same since... since that day. At the church.'

 _That_ day. The day Victor Dashley tried to force Lisa to marry him so he could steal her lands. The day they discovered Sonya Karp was alive. The day Mason was shot dead. The day Rose killed Natalie and lost her mind to darkness from the shock of it all - until Dimitri's love brought her back.

'Not the same _how_?' Lisa quizzed gently, aware of her friend's discomfort.

'Sometimes they come. Sometimes not,' Rose explained hesitantly. 'If they do, it's lighter, shorter. Not even enough to need a girdle. The first time it didn't happen I thought I might be...,' she eyed off Lisa's belly by way of explanation.

'But that was two months before you and Dimitri got married,' the blonde woman looked confused.

Rose glanced up at her, a wince of remorse on her face.

'Oh,' Lisa blinked in shock. 'Okay. So you and the sheriff...' she coughed. 'You two were... _familiar_ before he left for Silver Springs and you thought you might have gotten pregnant.'

Rose looked listlessly into the fire. 'I thought it was possible. I prayed I was wrong. I couldn't bear to bring shame on Alberta - having the town talking about me like they did about Camilla Contez after what Jesse Zekeman did to her,' she scowled at the memory of the man she had once admired. 'I kept on waiting for the bump to show and when it didn't I was so relieved. But then six months passed, then a year, and there's still no sign of a baby... I... I think there's something wrong with me.'

'Have you told Dimitri about your concerns?' Lisa asked carefully. She wasn't an expert on the reproductive process, but she knew enough to realise no monthlies would result in no babies.

'Not as such,' Rose's jaw tensed. 'He touches my stomach sometimes when we lie down at night, like he's searching for the swelling, but he never asks and I can't bring myself to tell him outright. We talked about starting a family when we were first married. He even told his mother to bring his christening gown from Russia because he hoped it would happen soon. I just can't help feeling like I'm letting him down... like he's going to despise me when he figures out I can't give him children.'

'Oh, Rose,' Lisa couldn't hold back any longer, wrapping her arms around her friend and holding her close. 'He would never do that. He loves you more than anything on this Earth - babies or no babies. You must be able to see that.'

Rose was brave in all things but her next confession was so close to her heart she could only muster a whisper to voice it. 'I think God is punishing me for sharing Dimitri's bed before the wedding. He's punishing me for not wanting to be pregnant then, by stopping me from having a child now.'

'Rosemarie Belikov,' Lisa's commanding tone made the owner of the name look up in surprise. 'God is _not_ punishing you. You are the most amazing, loyal, loving wife and friend imaginable. If God can't see that, then... then he's an idiot!' she finished dramatically.

'Mrs O'Hara!' it was Rose's turn to be shocked. 'That's blasphemy!'

The pregnant woman didn't seem concerned for her eternal soul. 'No. That's the truth. Now I need you to promise me you'll forget this ridiculous idea of being punished. Falling pregnant _will_ happen for you in time, just like it happened for me.'

Rose was struck by a pang of remorse and her eyes dropped to the bump beside her. 'I can't believe how selfish I'm being,' she shook her head to clear it. 'I should be congratulating you on your happiness, not moaning about my own problems.'

'Don't be silly,' Lisa reassured her. 'You've stood by me through the darkest moments of my life. It's only fair that I get to support you as well,' she shifted to swing her legs over the side of the bed. 'Now, I realise we might not have seen one another very much lately, but you're still my best friend and I know exactly what will cheer you up.'

'Oh yes? And what's that?' Rose quirked an eyebrow - a skill Dimitri had inadvertently taught her on their first night together in the cabin at Silver Springs.

A knowing smile broke out across Lisa's face. 'Food, of course. Come on. The boys have been left to their own devices for long enough. Let me check on how Mrs Carmack is going in the kitchen, then we can summon our husbands to join us for dinner.'

* * *

'Is there anything else I can do to make your family feel comfortable when they arrive tomorrow?' Lisa enquired of Sheriff Belikov, as Mrs Carmack - the housekeeper - appeared from the kitchen to clear away their dinner plates. 'I'm afraid some of the bedrooms are a little cramped.'

Dimitri stretched out his legs and leaned back to relax after the huge meal. 'My childhood home was much smaller than your house, Mrs O'Hara,' he replied with a grateful smile. 'I'm sure everyone will be more than happy with the space you have provided. I can't thank you enough for welcoming my family under your roof.'

'Having them here is a benefit to us as well,' Christian reminded him, his manner unusually earnest. 'I'm heading out on a new survey mission in a few days time. The job may take up to three months, weather depending, so I feel a lot happier knowing Lisa will have company while I'm away,' he caught his wife's eye, telegraphing a silent apology.

It was the nature of Christian's work to travel for long periods of time, but now that Lisa was expecting a child it was even harder for him to leave her. It wasn't just the idea of missing the arrival of their baby that worried him. With the possibility of misadventure, wild animal attacks and hostile encounters with Shoshone Indians, there was a high chance he wouldn't come back at all.

'Isn't it a little late in the year to be setting out?' Rose queried, a chill creeping through her body at the thought of camping out in winter. 'Surely it would be better to wait until the weather is warmer?'

Christian picked up his tumbler of brandy and swirled the amber liquid as he considered her question. 'Normally I'd agree, but the Governor of California wants a southern pass across the Sierras as soon as possible and he's paying handsomely to get it,' he raised the glass to his lips then turned to Dimitri with a dangerous look on his face. 'Speaking of California... have you heard from Aunt Tasha lately?'

Rose stiffened. She had nothing against Christian's aunt exactly, but she sometimes wished to God that the woman from Dimitri's past would damn well stay in the past.

Dimitri's hand crept under the tablecloth to rest on Rose's knee, reminding her with a touch that she was - and always would be - the one for him. 'Natasha sent me a letter soon after James Nathan's arrest was published in the newspapers,' he admitted.

'Oh yes?' Christian's eyes twinkled. 'And what did she have to say for herself?'

The sheriff shifted uncomfortably.

'Your aunt wanted to remind me I was welcome to stay at her lodgings if I wished to return to San Francisco,' he ignored Christian's knowing smirk. 'I replied immediately to inform her of my engagement to Rose. The only other correspondence I've received since was the announcement of Natasha's marriage to a politician by the name of Anthony Badica. I'd never heard her mention him before, but she seemed very taken with him. I suppose true love always finds a way,' he looked over at Rose and gave her a brief smile of encouragement.

Christian's smirk turned into a chuckle and Lisa glared at him.

'It's not funny.'

'It's a little bit funny,' he muttered, eyes laughing as he looked across at Dimitri. 'I've seen my aunt in love and trust me, Dimitri, this is a marriage of convenience. Senator Badica is twenty years her senior and _not_ an attractive man. Still, Tasha doesn't seem to mind. She's got what she's always wanted; power to influence the business matters of the state senate, and one other little thing…'

Rose frowned as Christian got up to retrieve a photograph from an envelope on the mantlepiece, bringing it over to the table for them to see. A grizzled man in his mid-fifties stood with his arm resting on the back of a chair, looking down on his much younger wife who was smiling proudly, a new baby cradled in her arms.

'My cousin, Louis Badica,' he declared. 'Louis…'

'Christian…,' Lisa's voice was sharp with warning but the man couldn't stop himself.

'…Louis _Dimitri_ Badica!' his face shone with mirth. 'Aunt Tasha couldn't tempt you to marry her, so she made a Dimitri of her own!'

Rose's fingers dug into the back of her husband's hand and an angry breath hissed out of her. How dare that woman take Dimitri's name for her child?! Of all the selfish, presumptuous, indecent things...

'You couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you Christian?' Lisa's usual composure quickly dissolved into a full-blown maternal rage. 'I told you not to mention it, but _no_. You had to open your big mouth and...'

She would have continued to tear shreds off him but there was the scrape of wood across bare floorboards and Dimitri rose from his chair, his hulking frame throwing a dark shadow over the table.

'Congratulations on the birth of your nephew, Mr O'Hara,' his words were polite, but his voice devoid of warmth. 'Now, if you will excuse us, Mrs O'Hara, my wife and I are in need of some fresh air. Come, Roza. Walk with me?'

He offered Rose his hand and she took it in a daze of bitterness and loathing - too worked up to see the look of embarrassment on Lisa's face as Dimitri led her from the room.

* * *

Rose followed Dimitri out the back door and into the twilight gloom, barely registering the cold bite of the evening air on her nose and cheeks. Too furious to speak, she dropped her husband's hand and roamed away from the house - needing to distance herself from Christian O'Hara and the memory of his horrid aunt.

'Roza,' Dimitri stepped up beside her, catching her elbow and forcing her to look at him. 'I'm sorry. If I was aware Natasha was going to do that I would have told her to choose another name. That was supposed to be the name for our son, if we had one.'

'Why are you sorry?' she fumed, tugging her arm away from him. 'It's not your fault some over-zealous woman from your past wanted to honour her child with your name. _I_ should be the one that's sorry,' she threw her hands in the air in frustration.

'What?' the man looked genuinely confused. Rose thought she had something be sorry for? This was a bizarre leap in logic, even for her.

'Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. We've been married a year,' she waved her wedding ring in his face. 'I should have given you a baby by now. We've been trying and trying and nothing ever happens. If you'd taken Natasha's offer and married her instead, you would probably be a father by now.'

'Oh, Roza,' Dimitri sighed, enveloping her in a tight embrace. 'It doesn't matter to me if we have children or not. I just want to be with you.'

'Even if I'm… barren?' she said bitterly.

'Don't say that. It's only been a year.'

'A year and two months if you count the cabin,' she corrected.

'A year and two months then. But that doesn't mean we can't have children. It just means the timing isn't right yet. If we are meant to have a baby it will come when it's ready.'

Rose glared at him in response. 'Are you listening to yourself right now?' she ranted. 'You sound like one of Reverend Mastrano's sermons.'

The sheriff let out a low chuckle, dropping his lips to her ear. 'Well, how about this idea instead. Maybe God is trying to tell us we should be putting more effort into _practicing_ making a baby?' he dropped a playful kiss to her mouth, nipping at her lower lip with his teeth. 'Do you want to practice with me, Roza?'

She pulled back in annoyance. 'Stop trying to distract me. I'm angry. Christian's horrible aunt stole our baby's name.'

Dimitri knew his wife very well. Sometimes, when reason failed, it was easier to bring her round with a more physical approach. 'Maybe we'll have a girl?' he suggested, sliding a hand down the front of her dress to cup one of her breasts and giving it a firm squeeze.

The woman's eyes widened in surprise and shock. They were standing in full view of the house but Dimitri wasn't even attempting to hide the movement of his palm as it rubbed possessively over the rise of her chest; his thumb and forefinger finding the stiffening peak of her nipple through the tightly-woven fabric and pinching down hard. Rose was seething with nervous energy - her husband was offering her a way to release it.

Her breathing shallowed under his expectant gaze, and it only took the slow raise of his eyebrow for her to crack.

'Treehouse,' she hissed, glancing over her shoulder to the line of cottonwoods by the creek, then she turned on her heel and ran.

Dimitri Belikov was famous for his reserved temperament in public, but when he was alone with his Roza a part of her wildness crept into his soul, and he would stop at nothing to please her, to take pleasure in her. With the memory of their first treehouse encounter teasing his senses, Dimitri took up chase, and by the time his wife reached the tree-line he was upon her. Rose let out a very un-deputy-like squeal as large hands locked around her waist, and the next second she was pressed up against the nearest tree; Dimitri's mouth demanding upon her lips, one hand already dragging her skirt up around her knees.

'Treehouse... too far,' he whispered hoarsely; his kisses deep and persistent, his fingers burrowing into her hair.

Rose was on the verge of giving in to him, but she chanced to look up at the exact moment a dark shadow appeared in one of the windows of the ranch house - probably Lisa checking to see if they were alright.

'Not here,' she gasped for breath, struggling to break free of his grip. 'They might hear us.'

'We'll be quiet,' Dimitri was determined to make her yield to him - teasing her with his mouth on her neck and his knee thrust firmly between her legs - but the figure remained at the window so Rose was forced to take matters into her own hands.

'Not here!' she insisted, jabbing her knee up to connect with the soft flesh of his inner thigh, and using the moment of surprise to take off again, deeper into the darkness.

'Come back here, deputy,' Dimitri grunted, a look of pain and admiration on his face.

Nothing made him prouder than knowing that Rose was capable of overpowering him if the situation demanded it.

'If you can catch me, you can have me, sheriff,' she shot back, heart racing with exertion and excitement as she arrived at the giant cottonwood that was home to _their_ treehouse, scrambling to hoist herself up into the tree's lower branches.

There was an exclamation of triumph from below, and Rose kicked out wildly against the vice-like grip around her legs.

'You'll have to try harder than that,' she puffed, clinging onto the branch as tightly as she could. 'I can hang here for hours.'

Her efforts were pointless. With one mighty yank at Rose's dress, Dimitri brought her toppling down into his arms; twisting her around to face him and sandwiching her between his chest and the trunk of the tree.

'You want to give me a baby? Then practice with me,' he urged her, his lips pleading and demanding against hers.

This time she didn't resist, and he reached down to snake a hand under her skirts; trailing it up the back of her thigh as his other worked to free himself from his trousers, a few deft strokes quickly bringing him to full attention.

'If you insist,' Rose whimpered in consent, boosting herself up to wrap her legs tightly around his waist; her fingers dragging at his hair as she found him through the opening in her underclothes.

A muted groan echoed through the man's chest as his straining flesh met her welcoming heat. The couple had known one another countless times in their one year of marriage but Dimitri Belikov was certain he would never tire of being nestled between his Roza's thighs. This was where he belonged - worshiping his wife with his body and soul for as long as they both could stand it.

'I insist,' he whispered against her lips and he pushed into her, burying himself to the hilt.

Rose moaned with pleasure, squirming against the tree trunk to push herself even further onto him, and Dimitri responded in kind; beginning a slow, delving assault then increasing in speed and power until she was panting his name. Rose's hair was snagged against the rough bark of the tree and there was an icy draft lapping at her exposed thighs, but none of that mattered right now.

'I will plant my child in your belly, Roza,' Dimitri was muttering against her ear, the breath coming out of him in ragged bursts as he built to his climax. 'Will you carry my child?'

'Yes,' she gasped, the tickle of his hair against her cheek and the allure of his whispered promises sending tremors surging through her body.

'Will you be the mother of my children?'

'Yes!' she bleated, louder than before, her voice carrying out across the still, quiet night.

'Yes?' he goaded her, his thrusts forceful and erratic.

'Yes, Dimit-,' she froze against him, feeling the length of him throb inside her; rendered speechless as her body greedily took from him what he freely gave. She gripped onto his neck for dear life and whimpered as he rocked up into her once more; spending himself entirely and burying his final groan of release into her shoulder.

It took a while for their breathing to steady, each exhale hanging like tiny puffs of cloud against the cool winter's air.

'Well, I'm glad we've come to an understanding on the matter,' Dimitri's mouth pulled into a lazy smile as he extracted himself from his warm nesting place and lowered his wife to the ground; each of them fumbling to fix their clothing before returning their attention to one another.

'No more worrying, you hear me, Roza?' he held both hands up to her face, skimming his thumbs across her flushed cheeks. 'I _will_ put a child in your belly... and any time you might be feeling doubtful about that fact, beautiful wife, you come straight to me and I will remind you again.'

'Yes dear,' Rose gazed up at him with a sinful, sated expression before letting her eyes fall closed; her head lolling gently in the supportive cradle of his fingers.

They stood like that for a few moments until an especially brisk gust of wind made Rose shiver, and she stepped closer to her husband for warmth.

'I suppose we should get inside or all the necessary parts for producing offspring will get frozen off in this chill,' she suggested, a cheeky smile on her lips.

Dimitri laughed, kissing her one last time then turning them back towards the house.

'We certainly can't have that, Mrs Belikov. I plan on making use of those parts again very soon.'

'Mr Belikov!' she pretended to be shocked. 'Twice in one night?!'

He quirked an eyebrow. 'If you're angling for a third I'm sure it can be arranged.'

Rose smacked his arm - apparently scandalised - but her grin gave her away and they quickened their pace, hoping Lisa and Christian hadn't grown suspicious about why they had been gone so long.

A few hundred yards away at the Mastrano homestead, the new reverend had been seated quietly on the back veranda partaking in his evening devotions, when he laid his bible down on the small wooden table by the rocking chair and tilted his head to listen. His eyebrows raised a little at the unexpected yet familiar sounds coming from the trees down by the creek, and he headed quickly inside – devotions forgotten – in search of his wife.

* * *

 _ **.**_

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Howdy, fine readers! It is my great pleasure to share this story with you at last. Thank you so much for checking out chapter one :)**_

 ** _Yep. A lemon in the first chapter - I went there!_**

 _ **This sequel is based on themes from Blood Promise-Last Sacrifice, including sex & violence. 'Mature' scenes will not be marked in text, but rest assured, I will do my best to handle these issues sensitively, and will not make characters suffer more than they can bear... Happy endings are my M.O.**_

 ** _I can't commit to a specific posting schedule as my writing time is limited, but I'll aim for one chapter per fortnight. (I've planned this story carefully from beginning to end but haven't written the chapters in full - will be posting chapters as I complete them.)_**

 ** _If you want a sneak preview of where the story is going, check out my Pinterest page (Username - Llaria6). I've got LOTS of photos up already. By the way, did you have a look at the cover image for DB:CW? I was really proud of that effort :P_**

 _ **Some thoughts about reviews:**_

 _ *** I love reading your feedback/ideas so please don't be shy - REVIEW and tell me what your think!**_

 _ *** If you take the time to leave a review, I will take the time to reply. Fanfiction is a conversation between fans - so let's talk :)**_

 ** _* It's okay if you disagree with something I write - but please log in before leaving constructive criticism so I can get back to you and clarify what you meant if I need to. (We got through the last story without a single nasty review - so THANK YOU for the positivity.)_**

 _ *** Like last time, I will be sending out a preview inbetween chapters to readers who review. Feel free to ignore or reply :D**_

 _ **Finally, here's a shout-out to Lea0014 for keeping me on-task with my planning & NB313 for keeping me off-task (my yin and yang of writing inspiration!) And of course, I must acknowledge Richelle Mead for creating the VA characters we love so much - and for putting Dimitri in a duster to inspire this cowboy-themed AU!**_

 _ **Romitri hugs & cowboy kisses to you all,**_

 _ **Laria6**_


	2. Delayed

**_Thank you for the amazing response to chapter one :D_**

 ** _I promised the next instalment a fortnight later, so here it is. (Might I add, it is 1am & I have not changed out of my pyjamas all day so I could get this chapter completed and published on time - ahh, the sacrifices we make!)_**

* * *

 **2\. Delayed**

It was first light, crisp and still. The O'Hara's and their household staff were still abed, but Rose stood out on the front porch in her dressing gown, hugging her arms around herself to keep warm as she watched her husband ready his horse.

Sheriff Belikov had agreed to meet with the commanding officer at Fort Freemont to get the latest news on Union troop movements and discuss any common threats in the local region. The timing of the meeting wasn't ideal; Dimitri would have to ride like the devil in order to make it to the fort and back again before his family were due to arrive at Cottonwood Creek Ranch, but at least this way they would be able to enjoy their long-awaited family reunion without further interruption.

After making some final adjustments to his saddle, Dimitri made his way across to where Rose was waiting on the bottom stair and pulled her into a lingering embrace.

'Make sure you go back to bed as soon as I'm gone and enjoy another hour's sleep,' he murmured, dropping a kiss into her hair. 'You've certainly earned it.'

Rose hid a wolfish smile in the collar of his leather duster. Last night's outdoor tryst had inspired a repeat performance as soon as the couple retired to bed, and only half an hour ago, Rose had awoken to the sweet, lazy roll of her husband's hips behind hers. At this rate they were bound to be expecting triplets.

'A sleep-in sounds nice, but it's no fun without you,' she tipped her face up to peck him on the lips. 'And besides, there are dozens of last-minute jobs that will need to be done before your family arrives in a few hours' time.'

' _Our_ family, remember?' Dimitri corrected her, an almost shy expression coming over his face. 'Are you looking forward to meeting them?'

'Of course I am,' she assured him quickly, even though she was beginning to feel slightly overwhelmed by the prospect of gaining a mother-in-law, a grandmother, three new sisters, a nephew and two baby nieces - all in one go. 'But I hope to goodness their English is better than my Russian, because I only know about ten words and half of those aren't fit to say in front of your mother!' she joked, to cover her nerves.

The sheriff looked alarmed.

'I know the words you're talking about. _Please_ don't say them in front of my mother.'

'Keep your shirt on, cowboy,' Rose grinned, amused that her giant of a husband was still just a little boy at heart who wanted to please his mama. 'I promise I'll keep the colourful language to myself if you promise to hurry back as soon as you've finished at the fort. From what you've told me about your grandmother, I might need some back-up.'

Dimitri tightened his arms around her once more. 'I'll be back by noon at the very latest, I promise,' his voice was warm and reassuring. 'And even if Mama and the girls arrive before I do, you'll be perfectly fine. Their English is already better than mine was when I first came to America, but if you do have any trouble being understood, I'm sure their chaperone, Mr Mazur, will be able to translate. Just give everybody my love and tell them I'm on my way. You can start lunch without me and I'll join you as soon as I can.'

He found his wife's mouth then; one slow, deep kiss turning into a series of playful pecks - neither of them willing to release the other to leave.

'Off you go then,' Rose eventually conceded, giving the man a light smack on the rump to get him moving. 'I love you, Sheriff Belikov.'

'As I love you, Deputy Belikov,' he gave her one last kiss then headed off to do his duty.

Rose fully intended to have an early breakfast then double-check that the guest bedrooms were equipped with everything the Belikova women might need, but when she returned to her own room to straighten out the bedding, the blankets looked so warm and inviting. She crept under the covers with a sigh of pleasure - figuring a few more minutes' sleep wouldn't hurt - and the next thing she knew, somebody was rapping at her door.

'Time to get up, lazybones. My wife told me not to disturb you, but I'm genuinely afraid of what you might do to my house and person if I let you miss your breakfast.'

Christian _could_ have said: 'Good morning, Rose. Breakfast is on the table if you'd like to join us,' but he enjoyed provoking her and found her passionate reactions a source of never-ending entertainment.

'You should be afraid!' Rose called out at once, trying to disguise the sleepiness in her voice.

Perhaps she _could_ have said: 'Thank you, Christian - I'll be down directly', but she was still miffed at his piggish behaviour after dinner last night and far from ready to consider a truce.

There was a snarky laugh from the other side of the door, and Rose waited until the sound of footsteps had receded down the hallway before she threw off her blankets in a panic and hurried to get dressed. Her new family was arriving in a few hours and she'd just slept away most of the morning.

Finally dressed and ready to join the O'Hara's for breakfast, Rose paused at the washstand, looking at her image in the mirror with a critical eye. She couldn't help thinking her simple winter day-dress was insufficient for such an important occasion, and briefly considered asking Lisa if she could borrow something nicer - but then she remembered that Dimitri's family were from a humble background, and realised it was vain and foolish to be worrying about such things. She'd just have to get by on her natural charm. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her chin to look at her reflection once more and caught the sparkle of self-confidence in her deep, brown eyes.

'Go get 'em, deputy,' she counselled the girl in the mirror... and that was what she told herself again two hours later, when she heard the sound of a coach pulling up outside.

* * *

' _ROZA_!'

The moment the horse-drawn coach drew to a halt, a young woman about the same age as Rose leapt down from where she had been seated next to the driver, rushing over to throw her arms around the deputy.

'I can't believe it. You're just how he described you!'

'You must be Viktoria,' Rose laughed as her youngest sister-in-law proceeded to hug the stuffing out of her. 'Welcome to your new home! This is Lisa O'Hara - my best friend and your hostess at Cottonwood Creek Ranch.'

The Russian girl pulled back a step and clasped Lisa's hands.

'Thank you for letting us stay.'

'We are glad to have you,' the pregnant woman beamed. 'How was your journey?'

Rose was too distracted to focus on the light conversation, her heart lurching strangely as she recognised small traces of Dimitri in his sister's features; the slope of her forehead, the angle of her nose, the way her right cheek dimpled slightly when she smiled. There were differences too; Vika's face was rounder, her eyes wider, and the brown hair that peeked out from beneath the edges of her Russian headscarf was streaked with strands of gold. Seeing so many of Dimitri's little quirks reflected in the face of another, Rose wondered briefly what family resemblance she inherited from her natural parents - wherever they were now - and what traits she and Dimitri might one day pass on to their own children.

'Look! The others are getting out now. Will you introduce us?' Lisa's voice brought Rose back from her private musings, and she turned her attention to the remainder of the travelling party.

Abraham Mazur's coach - an exquisite creation painted in eye-watering red with bright yellow wheels, drawn by six, sleek horses - was piled high with luggage. A boy of about ten had clambered up onto the roof to retrieve several suitcases and was passing them down to a wiry, wild-looking man who Rose guessed to be in his early fifties; his long, grizzled beard and ponytail nearly as eccentric as the fringed deerskin outfit he was wearing.

'That's my nephew Paul up the top - he's Karolina's son,' Viktoria explained as they approached the group clustered around the carriage, 'and the man with the bags is Pavel. He and Mr Mazur travelled with us from Russia... He doesn't talk a lot,' she shook her head when Lisa motioned to greet him.

Rose eyed the man curiously. When Dimitri was organising his family's passage to America, Alberta had recommended a lawyer by the name of Abraham Mazur to handle all the immigration details. Rose had never met Mr Mazur or his travelling companion before, but she guessed they must have been charging an arm and a leg for their services, seeing as they had sailed all the way to Russia to accompany the Belikovas on their voyage to San Francisco.

'Come and meet my sisters,' Viktoria stole Rose's attention away again, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards a pair of women who were waiting nearby to receive their bags - each with a baby in their arms. Just like Vika, they both wore a richly coloured headscarf knotted under their chin, but were otherwise dressed in a similar fashion to the American girls. 'This is Karolina and her daughter Zoya... and this is Sonja and baby Katya!'

Karolina and Sonja both looked weary from the journey but pleased to meet the Americans all the same. 'See, Zoya? This is your Aunty Roza,' the toddler's mother announced to the child on her hip, her voice gentle and measured like Dimitri's but with a much thicker accent.

Zoya looked across at Rose with huge brown eyes then buried her face in her mama's shoulder, overwhelmed by all of the new things around her.

'Don't mind her,' Karolina apologised. 'She'll love you when she gets to know you.'

Even as she said it, the little girl turned her head to peek at Rose, her face splitting into a wide smile when her new aunt made a silly face.

'She's beautiful,' Lisa reached out to stroke Zoya's hair, her hand fluttering down to rest on the top of her rounded stomach as her gaze shifted to the sleeping baby in Sonja's arms. 'And look at this little darling. How old is she?'

Sonja appeared to be more withdrawn than her sisters, but her eyes lit up at the praise for her daughter. 'Six months - a year younger than her cousin. Would you like to hold her?'

Jealousy coiled in the pit of Rose's stomach as she watched her friend eagerly take the child, cradling her so naturally and swaying from side to side. In a matter of months Lisa would be doing this with her own baby, but it would be a lot longer before Rose might get the same opportunity. The moment the thought crossed her mind she chided herself for being so petty. Lisa and Christian deserved a family of their own... and with any luck, Dimitri's enthusiastic 'practice' regime might have already worked its wonders. A smile broke out across her face at the thought, drawing the attention of a middle aged woman who had just emerged from the coach.

'Our Roza!' Olena Belikov hurried over to daughter-in-law, reaching up to cup the girl's face. 'Look at you. So beautiful. My Dimka is a lucky man.'

'I'm the lucky one, Mrs Belikova,' Rose amended, though she was secretly pleased by the compliment. 'You have raised a wonderful son.'

The older woman beamed in acknowledgement. 'Call me Olena, dear... or Mama if you like - everybody else does!'

'Could I help you with your bags, Olena?' Rose offered, suddenly aware that they were still standing out in the cold. 'You must all be tired and hungry after your long journey.'

The woman shook her head.

'Dimka will help me,' she glanced around, searching for the figure that was notably absent. 'Where is that naughty boy? He should be here to meet his mama.'

Rose coughed to hide a laugh, struck by the mental image of Olena smacking her six-foot-seven 'naughty boy' with a wooden spoon.

'Dimitri is...'

' _Otlozheno_ ,' a shrill voice cut through the air, and they all turned to see a short, thin, elderly woman stepping out of the coach.

Yeva may have looked frail, but when a richly-dressed, exotic-looking gentleman - presumably Abraham Mazur - offered his hand to steady her descent, she swatted it away, proceeding towards the group at a surprisingly nimble pace.

'Babushka says Dimka has been... delayed,' Vika translated uncertainly.

Rose could have sworn she saw a fleeting look of worry pass between the Belikova women. Or maybe it wasn't worry. Maybe it was disappointment - they had been waiting nearly four years to see him, after all.

'Yes, it's true,' the young deputy hastened to set their minds at ease. 'Dimitri has been out this morning attending to sheriff's business, but he asked me to pass on his love and say he will join us as soon as he can. I'm sure he won't be too much longer.'

There was an awkward silence as the travellers absorbed the unexpected news, but Lisa stepped in with her usual grace and tact to save the situation.

'Why don't we all go inside now and get you settled. My housekeeper has prepared a hearty meal for us to enjoy, and your rooms are set up and ready should you wish to rest after you've eaten.'

Olena recovered her manners quickly.

'That sounds lovely, thank you. We will see Dimka soon enough, and in the meantime there is so much to talk about. Come, girls,' she picked up her own modest suitcase in one hand and Sonja's in the other, indicating for Viktoria and Paul to assist with the remainder of the bags before following their hostess towards the house.

Rose hung back a minute longer; nodding in greeting to Mr Mazur when he paused in his conversation with Yeva to look her way, then approaching Pavel to instruct him where to stable the horses.

'Please come and join us when you are finished,' she encouraged him, but the man remained silent and Rose took her leave, hastening to catch up to her new family.

Pavel watched the last of the group go inside then looked up at the sky with a grimace. There would be rain tonight. Sheriff Belikov had better get himself home well before nightfall if he wanted to stay safe and dry.

* * *

'So, tell us about your family, Roza,' Vika pressed, dunking a slab of corn bread in her second helping of beef and potato stew. 'Do you have any handsome, unmarried brothers?'

' _Viktoria_!' both of her sisters exclaimed at once, horrified at the girl's forward behaviour.

'What?' she shrugged. 'I bet you two were thinking the same thing!'

Karolina wasn't remotely interested in any of Rose's fictitious unmarried brothers, having already lost two husbands - the first to the Crimean War and the second to cholera, but Sonja had been secretly hoping she might come across a nice American man to provide a 'proper' life for herself and baby Katya. Olena had begged her daughter time and again to reveal the identity of Katya's father so he could be made to take responsibility for the baby, but Sonja refused. She'd already grown up in a household with one abusive man, and she had no intention of putting her own child through the same ordeal.

'No brothers I'm afraid,' Rose apologised. 'Or sisters, for that matter. It's just me and my mother.'

'Your mother?' an unfamiliar voice spoke up from the far end of the table and Rose turned to see Abraham Mazur studying her intently, his black eyes probing and expectant.

Something in the lawyer's gaze made Rose feel uncomfortable and she hesitated before answering the question. Her family history was common knowledge to most people in Saint's Town but it still felt inappropriate to be discussing her 'situation' in polite company. 'Alberta Peterson - I believe you know her? She raised me since I was four.'

Understanding flickered across Mr Mazur's face.

'And your real parents?' he pushed on with his enquiry. 'What happened to them?'

Rose frowned, annoyed by the unwelcome intrusion into her private life, but aware that her entire extended family were also waiting to hear her response.

'I don't remember much about my natural parents - except from stories I've been told about them,' she admitted. 'I'm not even sure if they are dead or alive.'

The sudden hush that fell over the group was broken by Yeva, who rattled off a string of words in Russian, her beady eyes fixed on Abe Mazur.

This time it was Sonja who provided the translation.

'Babushka says, Mr Mazur should be able to help you with that.'

Deputy Belikov shifted her attention from her sister-in-law to the old woman across the table, narrowing her eyes.

'What do you mean?'

Rose had been warned about Yeva's 'mysterious predictions', and she refused to be duped by the ramblings of a old crone - even if that old crone was now her grandmother.

'Mr Mazur is a lawyer...,' Olena interjected quickly, seeing the tension begin to prickle between the headstrong pair, '...a man of influence. He was able to use his connections to organise our safe passage from Baia to Hamburg, and then on to America. Perhaps he might also be willing to help _you_ find your lost family?'

Rose stiffened in her seat. When she was younger she would have given anything for the chance to find her mother and father - to ask them if they'd loved her once, and if they still thought of her sometimes - but over the years she'd come to see that dream for what it was; just a dream.

She shook her head and mustered a smile.

'I have Alberta. I have Dimitri. I have Lisa. I have all of you,' she looked to each of the faces gathered around the table. 'That's all the family I need.'

Lisa O'Hara moved from her place at the head of the table, swooping down to wrap her friend in a tight embrace.

'And we are lucky to count you as one of our family too,' she declared, drawing a chorus of agreement from the Belikovas. 'Now, would anybody like a bowl of stewed fruit and custard?'

It was moments like this that Rose remembered why she loved her best friend. Lisa might be frivolous and self-absorbed at times, but she always knew when Rose was feeling moody or vulnerable and had a way of buoying her spirits like nobody else could.

Conversation died down for a short while as they all tucked into their dessert, but a question from Karolina soon had everybody's attention away from their plates and focused squarely on Deputy Belikov.

'So how did you and Dimka meet?' she began her sisterly interrogation. 'Was it love at first sight?'

Rose bit back a grin.

'Not exactly. The day Dimitri and I met, I was actually trying to jump out of a window to avoid him,' she confessed, with a sidelong glance to Lisa.

'And then you stole his horse,' Mrs O'Hara added, her pale eyes dancing with fun.

Somebody coughed and Rose looked across the table to see a queer expression on Yeva's face. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but for the briefest moment she thought the sour old biddy actually looked impressed.

'Dimitri tied me to his belt to stop me from escaping that night, and locked me in jail a week later for running away again,' the deputy recalled with a smirk, those early memories amusing in hindsight - though she had been outraged at the time. 'So _no_ , I wouldn't say it was love at first sight - that came much later... But it was a different story for Lisa and her husband Christian,' she added mischievously.

The Belikova women turned as one to their hostess, and Viktoria couldn't resist the bait.

'Tell us, please!'

Lisa blushed.

'I was swimming in the creek one day and my skirt got caught on a branch under the water. I nearly drowned, but Christian dove in and saved me. He proposed a week later.'

The female guests _aah_ ed at the sentimental story, and little Zoya - who had been sitting in a wooden high chair by her mother, listening to adults' conversation as though she understood every word - chose that moment to clap her chubby hands together, shrieking happily at the adoring laughter she received as a reward. The child was brought out of her chair and passed around the table until she was claimed by her grandmother; Olena jogging the toddler on her knee to keep her entertained while the grown-ups continued to talk.

'And where is your husband today, Mrs O'Hara?' Abe Mazur queried. 'I haven't had the pleasure of meeting young Christian, but my sources tell me he's an interesting fellow.'

Interesting is _one_ word for him, Rose's scoffed privately, while wondering exactly what 'sources' the lawyer was referring to.

'My husband is about to commence a survey mission for the Government of California, finding a new southern pass through The Sierras,' Lisa explained. 'His team ride out on Monday, so he's gone into town this morning to stock up on supplies for the journey. I'm sure he will be glad to make your acquaintance when he returns.'

Mr Mazur smiled indulgently and leaned back in his chair; as relaxed as if he owned the place.

'My companion Pavel has lived and worked everywhere from The Sierras to The Appalachians and just about all the places in-between, haven't you Pavel?' he nodded to the man who had been an invisible presence at the table until now. 'You and Mr O'Hara should get to know one-another. You might be able to trade stories.'

Rose hadn't heard Pavel utter a single word since he'd arrived at the ranch two hours ago, so the idea of him trading stories with Christian - another one of God's antisocial creatures - was extremely unlikely.

The bearded man thrust his chin forward in acknowledgement, but if he said anything Rose wasn't sure, because baby Katya awoke just then from her nest of blankets and cushions in the corner, and began to cry. Sonja moved quickly to attend to the child, and Lisa took that as her cue to call an official end to lunch.

'It has been wonderful sharing a meal with all of you, but I expect our guests would like some quiet time to unpack and relax in their rooms. Christian and I have vacated our bedroom for the mothers with babies, as it is the largest in the house. Olena and Yeva, we've put you together in the guest room on the first floor - that way you won't need to use the stairs.'

Dimitri's mother nodded gratefully, overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of their hosts.

'Viktoria,' Mrs O'Hara continued. 'You have the room next to mine. It used to belong to my brother Andrew, so I apologise if it is not to your taste... And Paul?' she turned to the boy who had been quiet and well-behaved all through lunch - mostly because he was stuffing his face with food the entire time. 'You can choose if you'd prefer to bunk in with your Aunt Vika or take your mattress into Christian's study.'

'My own room? Really?' Paul's eyes were wide as saucers - clearly his decision was already made!

Lisa laughed.

'Well, you'll have to share it with Mr O'Hara during the daytime while he's home, but as soon as he leaves on Monday it will be all yours until he gets back again in a few months.'

The boy jumped up from his chair and punched the air in victory, while Viktoria held a similar (though more surreptitious) celebration of her own. This would be the first time in her entire life that she'd had a bedroom to herself.

* * *

Despite her gentle temperament, Lisa was a natural leader, and within minutes she'd organised to show Paul, Olena and Yeva to their rooms - and delegated Rose the job of assisting the Belikova sisters to their bedrooms upstairs. (Abraham Mazur and Pavel were not lodging at Cottonwood Creek Ranch, but had elected to take a walk around the property before heading into town to stay the night at Adrian Ivara's hotel).

'This is your room, Vika,' Rose stopped in the doorway to usher the youngest of the three sisters inside. 'You can put your things in the closet and there is clean water in the jug on the washstand if you'd like to freshen up.'

Viktoria stepped over the threshold and looked around in wonder. 'This is _all_ mine? I think I've died and gone to heaven!' she ran into the room and flopped face-first onto the double bed, groaning in pleasure.

Rose tried to keep the surprise from showing on her face. The room was spacious enough, but it was sparsely furnished and even in the middle of the day it felt like walking into an ice-box. Dimitri's family home in Baia must have been very modest if she found this luxurious by comparison.

'Well, I'll leave you to it,' Rose announced, leading Karolina and Sonja to the main bedroom on the opposite side of the hallway. 'And this room has been set up for you and the babies,' she invited the women inside, placing their suitcases at the foot of the double bed.

'Look, Karo,' Sonja breathed, pointing out the crib that stood against the far wall, before creeping over to the smaller rocking cradle that sat by the bedside; running her hand over its smooth, wooden headboard. 'This is... too much,' her voice was tight like she was going to cry.

Diplomacy wasn't Rose's forte, but she didn't want Dimitri's sister to be upset on her very first day at the ranch.

'If you don't like it, I'm sure Lisa won't be offended. Is there something else that would suit you better?'

Sonja shook her head hurriedly.

'I didn't mean that. I only meant... we never had things as fancy as this back at home. I even can't believe this is real.' She retrieved a knitted blanket from her suitcase then crouched by the cradle and placed her squirming baby inside - tucking the blanket over Katya so only her face was peeking out and rocking the little bed back and forth to the sound of the child's contented cooing.

'It was Lisa's - the cradle,' Rose explained, her hand unconsciously smoothing over her own flat stomach as she watched the mesmerising movement of the cradle. 'We found it stored in the loft above the stables and brought it down in preparation for when Lisa's baby arrives.'

'So she _is_ pregnant,' Karolina exchanged glances with her sister. 'We thought she was but didn't want to ask in front of the men. How far along is she? Mama can help with the birthing if she needs a midwife...'

'And we both know _a lot_ about pregnancy and babies,' Sonja added. 'If she has any questions she can talk to us.'

Rose smiled at their generosity. 'I think she'd like that. She's five months now - due at the end of February.'

'So soon!' Karo lowered Zoya into the crib, giving her a knotted rag-doll to play with and returning to sit on the bed. 'But enough about Mrs O'Hara. What about you?' she raised an eyebrow, looking eerily like her brother when he pulled that same expression.

'What do you mean?' the younger woman's heart beat a little faster under her sister-in-law's penetrating gaze.

Sonja joined the assault, steering Rose across the room and forcibly seating her on the bed.

'How is _married life_ treating you, Mrs Belikov?'

Rose had a hideous flashback of the talk she'd been subjected to when Alberta first learned that her daughter had become _a woman_. It was awful enough Alberta and Lisa knowing the sordid details of her personal life - but now she was expected to reveal all to Dimitri's sisters as well?

'It's... great?' she shrugged, not wanting to give away any more than she absolutely had to.

The sisters looked to one another meaningfully then back at Rose.

'Well, if you need any pointers, Sonja and I have experience,' Karo began. 'Don't look so shocked, Roza. This is what sisters are for. Tell us _everything_.'

' _Everything_!' Sonja echoed playfully.

That old fantasy of being interrupted by a band of raiding Indians seemed pretty good right now, but Rose was saved by a squeak of the floorboards outside the door.

'Yes, tell us, Roza!' the eavesdropper stuck her head into the room, her face contorted with mirth.

' _Out Vika_!' Sonja squawked.

' _Shoo_!' Karolina jumped up to push the girl back out into the hallway. 'You know more than you should already! You don't need any more encouragement,' she called after her little sister, closing the door firmly before returning to interrogate her captive.

Rose somehow got through their barrage of questions, and counted herself lucky when Katya started to grizzle again. Sonja picked the baby up and put her to the breast, and Rose took that as her opportunity to leave.

'Thank you for the... advice,' she grimaced, although the conversation had not turned out to be quite as horrifying as she'd expected.

'That's what sisters are for, remember?' Karo wrapped her in a hug, her tone turning serious as she pulled back from the embrace. 'Thank you for making our brother happy again. He became very bitter and angry after his friend Ivan was killed. Mama was worried he'd changed forever, but you brought him back. We will always love you for that.'

Rose didn't know how to reply, so she simply nodded and saw herself to the door.

'I'll be downstairs if you need anything, or Lisa is just across the hall.'

The Russian women both thanked her again and she slipped quietly from the room, wondering what she could do to fill the time while she waited for her husband to return.

* * *

Where are you, Dimitri? Rose frowned as she saw the clock on the mantle by the dining table. Twelve thirty. He said he'd be back before noon, but there was still no sign of him. The morning with the Belikovas had gone off without a hitch, but it would have been so much better if Dimitri had been here to enjoy it too.

Not really knowing what to do with herself, Rose spied a bowl of apples on the table and was reaching out to grab one when she noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye.

'You back again, freeloader?' she greeted Mr O'Hara, who had returned from his trip into town wearing a new suit and his usual sarcastic expression.

'You still here, glutton?' he arched an eyebrow at her.

She poked out her tongue and slumped in the nearest chair, staring at the piece of fruit in her hand but not sure if she actually wanted to eat it.

'Sick of the family already, huh?' Lisa's husband sauntered over and picked up an apple for himself, leaning his elbows on the back of one of the dining chairs and taking a bite.

Rose eyed the man suspiciously. It wasn't like him to initiate small talk.

'Of course not. It's just...,' she waivered before letting her guard down a fraction. 'It's just that there are so _many_ of them. I'm not sure Dimitri will have much time left over to pay _me_ any attention now.' She'd meant it in jest but there was an element of truth behind the sentiment.

Christian scoffed.

'What?' Rose didn't like the condescending look on his face.

'Nothing,' he smirked, scraping back the chair he'd been leaning on and eased himself onto it, crossing his legs at the ankle. 'Aren't you going to ask me how my trip to town went?'

The deputy was instantly on alert. 'Why? What happened?'

Christian took a slow bite of his apple, making her wait.

'Well, I checked in on Eddie at the sheriff's office...'

'Was there a problem?' she asked sharply. Eddie Castile wasn't officially a deputy, but the cowboy had filled in on several occasions while Dimitri was working in Silver Springs with Micky Tanner, and had agreed to watch over things while Dimitri and Rose were enjoying their family reunion.

'Not as such - though he did say Adrian Ivara dropped by after closing last night, singing the drunken praises of Miss Sydney Sage. Apparently he was raving on about a mad plan to sell the saloon, to prove to the lady that he has mended his decadent ways and is worthy of her heart.'

Rose rolled her eyes. A year ago it was Rose herself that Adrian had been fawning over, but now it was the prim and proper doctor's daughter who had become the object of his intense affection. Unfortunately for Adrian, though, Sydney held the playboy in poor regard and he had his work cut out for him trying to convince her - and her unpleasant father - that he was a suitable match.

'And there was one other thing...,' Christian drew a folded piece of paper out of his coat pocket, dangling it just out of the deputy's reach. 'I stopped in at the telegraph office. This is for you - from the sheriff.'

She snatched at the telegram.

'Give it here.'

'Uh-uh. Manners,' he tutted, using the long reach of his arm to hold the message hostage.

'Please,' Rose hissed, through gritted teeth.

'Much better.'

Satisfied, the man relinquished the telegram, watching on with mild interest as his wife's friend greedily scanned over the typed words.

CHANGE IN PLANS (STOP) BACK BEFORE DINNER (STOP) LOVE (STOP)

'When did you get this?' there was a note of accusation in Rose's voice. 'You couldn't have sent word sooner? I've been telling Dimitri's family all morning to expect him any minute, and now he might not be back for another few hours?'

Christian seemed unconcerned.

'Sorry, but I had my own business to attend to. If you miss him so much, why don't you go and meet him on the road?'

The look of annoyance melted from the deputy's face as she paused to consider the suggestion.

'That's actually not such a bad idea,' she admitted.

The Belikovas were all resting in their rooms, and Lisa would be able to keep them entertained if they woke before she returned.

'You can thank me later,' Christian quipped. 'Now, get out of here before my wife catches you, or you'll be stuck talking to her for hours! I'll cover for you while you're gone.'

'Why are you helping me?' Rose frowned. 'You're _never_ this nice.'

Mr O'Hara's mouth pulled up into a wide smile.

'Who said I was being nice? I just want you out of my house!'

'Oh shut up, Christian!' the woman pushed her chair back and made a hasty exit.

* * *

Within fifteen minutes, Deputy Beikov had changed into her riding habit and readied her horse, and she took off in the direction of Fort Freemont at a trot - increasing to a steady lope in her eagerness to rendezvous with her husband. After two hours of riding, Rose passed a small cluster of homesteads and outbuildings by the side of the main trail, and immediately afterwards she spotted a lone rider approaching from the opposite direction.

'Howdy stranger!' she called out, beaming as Dimitri brought his horse up alongside hers.

'Howdy, yourself,' he reached out to squeeze her knee, his expression baffled but intrigued, like he'd just happened across a beautiful mirage. 'What are doing here, Roza? Is everything alright? How did the morning go?'

'Everything's fine - amazing actually. I just couldn't wait to see you,' she traced her fingertips over the back of his hand, exploring the familiar contours of his tanned skin. 'Everybody is waiting for you. What kept you so long?'

He clasped her hand in apology.

'A group of renegades were sighted last night within ten miles of Fort Freemont, heading south to join the Confederate Army. The officers asked me to ride out with them to apprehend the defectors. We did a full search of the area but found no trace of them.'

A crease appeared between the deputy's eyebrows. 'Is there any threat to Saint's Town?'

Dimitri shook his head.

'They're keeping away from the bigger settlements to avoid being caught, so we should be safe enough. I only hope...' he paused, one finger raised as he cocked his head to listen.

This time Rose heard it as well - a woman's voice, muffled and desperate. Sheriff Belikov dropped his wife's hand and turned his head swiftly, his eyes alighting on the nearest structure; a large barn set a quarter of a mile back from the road, probably belonging to one of the of farm houses Rose had passed earlier.

'Stay here - that's an order,' Dimitri swung down from his horse, handing her the reins and pushing his duster back to reach for the revolver at his hip. 'I'll scope out the building on foot and signal if I need back-up.'

Rose's frown deepened but she didn't argue with him as she once might have. A woman's life might be at risk. There was no time to waste.

'Be careful, cowboy,' she cautioned him, shifting the reins of both horses into one hand and reaching down to stroke his cheek with the other.

'Of course, milaya,' he pressed the hand to his lips briefly then released it, turning away from her and stalking towards the barn.

With every step that Dimitri took, the uneasiness gnawing at Rose's gut burgeoned into a choking fear that she couldn't ignore a moment longer. Orders be damned! Tethering the horses to a nearby tree, she drew her pistol from its holster on the saddle and ranged after her husband.

'Stop! No more!' the pleas grew clearer as she neared the barn, and the deputy's stomach heaved as she made out two figures struggling in the shadows.

A woman was on the floor of the barn with her skirts up over her knees, trying to get away from a man - a soldier - who was kneeling at her feet with his shirt untucked and his pants around his ankles.

'Stay still, girl,' he pushed her back to the ground. 'We aren't done with you yet.'

 _We_? Rose thought in horror, every impulse urging her to run and aid the poor woman, but Dimitri had cautioned her to wait and she had to trust he would signal if he needed her help.

'Get away from her,' a new voice carried out across the eerie winter landscape, and Dimitri came into view; standing at the entrance to the barn, his gun trained at the back of the raper's skull.

The soldier didn't even turn around.

'Private Cartwright is next. Wait your turn,' he dismissed the threat, leisurely standing to pull up his trousers and straighten his uniform while the woman at his feet sobbed silently into her the crook of her elbow.

The sound of Dimitri's revolver being cocked finally got the desired reaction, and the soldier slowly lifted his hands; remaining stationary but turning his head to glance at the sheriff behind him.

'I said, _GET. AWAY_.'

Rose had taken cover behind a water trough less than a hundred feet from the barn - eyes vigilant, gun at the ready - but there was nothing she could have done to prevent what was about to happen, and no possible way for her to go back and change it.

The soldier's arms were raised in surrender, but at a subtle flick of his fingers a second man stepped out from the shadows, his revolver aimed at the sheriff.

Dimitri's gun swung around to the left and a fraction of a second later a shot rang out, the stranger crumpling to the ground with a bullet hole torn through his chest.

But that one, small lapse in attention was all the raper needed. He dropped to a crouch with lightning speed and drew a tiny derringer pistol from his boot.

And then he pressed the trigger.

Rose's mouth opened in a silent scream as she watched her beautiful, brave, beloved husband turn towards the oncoming bullet, his head jolting back like a puppet on a string before he fell heavily to the ground, a trickle of blood seeping from his hairline, down his cheek and onto the cold, hard earth below.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 ** _Holy Hell. Shit just got real._**

 ** _This isn't going to be a fluffy story about how Rose and Dimitri sailed through their married life and got up to crazy adventures with the gang, or a compilation of Romitri's sexual exploits in their attempts to get pregnant. This is going to be a story about family, friendship, longing, despair, hope and love. I want to make you_** ** _feel_** ** _something. Are you feeling it yet? Well there's a whole lot more to come!_**

 ** _Now I've gone and shot Dimitri in the head, the ball is in your court. You can..._**

 ** _a) shut down your computer in disgust & refuse to read another chapter (please don't do that - all is not lost!) OR_**

 ** _b) trust that I have a fearful & wonderful plan for this story... To quote a favourite line from Deputy Belikov - 'When have I ever let you down?' :)_**

 ** _Whatever you're thinking right now, leave me a review - I am prepared for the onslaught of angst & am willing to give away a tiny spoiler if you really can't bear the suspense._**


	3. Every Misery and Danger

**_I REALLY enjoyed reading your reviews for Chapter 2. We had everything from 'WTF' to 'Eagerly awaiting the next update'. It is unbelievably heart-warming that you are invested in the characters & storyline so early :D_**

* * *

 **3\. Every Misery and Danger**

Kill the bastard.

Get to Dimitri.

Rose's brain was screaming at to her to do something, but she couldn't move. She couldn't think. She could barely even breathe. All she could do was crouch behind the water trough and stare in horror at the body on the ground; willing Dimitri to get up, telling herself this was all just an awful nightmare.

But he didn't get up, and it wasn't a nightmare. This was real.

'Look what you made me do, you stupid whore!'

The brutal words jolted Rose from her trance, and her hand shook with fury and vengeance as the barrel of her pistol found its target - tracking every movement of the monster who'd just destroyed her happiness and stolen her future. The only thing stopping Deputy Belikov from unloading every last one of her bullets into the raper's skull was the fear she might accidentally hit the fair-haired woman cowering at his feet. A clear shot... she just had to wait for a clear shot and she would send the evil sonofabitch straight to hell.

'If you'd just kept your mouth shut like I told you to, I wouldn't have needed to shoot that nosy fool - and my private would still be alive,' the soldier rounded on his female victim with a look of contempt. 'Two men dead, and it's _your_ fault. Do you know what happens to women who disobey?'

It wasn't a hollow threat. Rose's finger tightened on the trigger as she watched the man bend to retrieve his belt from the hay-strewn floor; securing it around his waist then drawing out the cavalry sword from its sheath at his hip.

'Look at me when I'm talking to you, girl,' he hissed, using the tip of his sword to her raise her chin; her pale, tangled hair falling back from her face to reveal a large bruise flourishing on her cheek. 'You won't tell anybody what happened here today, will you?'

The young woman sucked in a frightened breath as the sword pricked at the soft flesh beneath her jaw. A bead of crimson sprung from her fair skin, clinging to the blade's steel point before dripping down to stain the collar of her dress.

'If anyone asks, you will tell them our party was attacked by a lone bandit with long hair and a foreign accent. Private Cartwright was killed without provocation, and I returned fire to defend your honour.'

'My _honour_?' the girl choked out, finding her voice at last, but her defiance was met with swift punishment.

'If I hear you've told _anyone_ ,' the blade jabbed a little deeper, leaving a shallow graze on her neck as it raked downwards to rest between her breasts. 'If you tell your father, your sister...,' the soldier twisted the sword menacingly, 'I'll...'

Rose had seen enough. Her whole world was crumbling, the sky was crashing down around her, and the snow-capped mountains in the distance were threatening to topple and crush her under their weight, yet even through the turmoil of grief she remembered her duty. She was a deputy sheriff - sworn to fight injustice and protect the innocent - and that's what she had to do. Muttering curses in two languages, Deputy Belikov raised her pistol and fired a warning shot into the air.

Startled by the crack of gunfire, the soldier whipped his body around and dropped to a half-crouch. In only a matter of seconds he'd swapped his sword for a revolver; crossing the barn swiftly to take shelter behind the wall at the entrance, and loosing a few blind shots out across the prairie in retaliation.

 _Goddammit!_ Rose glowered, ducking her head back down out of sight. She still didn't have a clear shot. As long as the man remained in the barn, the blonde girl was in danger. She had to lure him out of there, no matter the risk to herself. Catching sight of Dimitri - twisted so strangely where he fell - Rose felt a surge of wild, reckless anger boil through her veins, and she leapt up from behind the water trough; gun cocked, feet planted firmly on the ground.

'Come and get me, you gutless bastard!' she hollered. 'Or are you scared of women who fight back?'

There was a pause, then the soldier sauntered out into the open with his army-issued revolver aimed at the young deputy's chest, a leer of enjoyment spreading across his face. 'I knew this was my lucky day. Come here little she-devil. I'll have you too, and then...,' the laughter died on his lips as he caught sight of something in the distance.

Rose felt the ground shudder beneath her feet, and when she risked a fleeting glance over her shoulder she realised a new danger was upon them. Four men on horseback were advancing from the west - their faces covered and guns drawn.

Outlaws!

Deputy Belikov had been willing to take on one soldier alone, but a gang of armed, desperate men? She was outnumbered and she knew it.

Throwing herself to the ground, Rose's view of the world turned sideways as she rolled closer to the water-trough to spy through the narrow gap beneath it; watching on grimly as Dimitri's killer fled the scene like the coward he was, and the blonde woman scrambled weakly behind a towering pile of hay.

At least she had the sense to get herself hidden, Rose thought. If the girl was discovered by the bandits, it was likely she wouldn't leave the barn alive.

'Over here,' a rough voice called out - too near for comfort - and Deputy Belikov willed herself to ignore the icy-cold moisture wicking into her clothing from the damp earth below her; remaining completely still and silent as four riders passed only feet from where she was lying.

In less than a minute they were at the barn.

'What do we have here, boys?' one of the outlaws swung down from his horse and immediately raised his rifle to his shoulder, approaching the man in the leather duster with caution while indicating for one of his comrades to check the other body. 'Reckon they shot one another or do you think someone else gave them a hand?' he narrowed his eyes, sweeping a look around the barn for signs of a hidden gunman.

'This Yank is worm food,' his companion replied, bending down to relieve the dead soldier of his gun and searching his jacket pockets for valuables.

The leader of the gang had been slowly circling Dimitri's body but eventually came to a halt, jabbing the barrel of his rifle into the cowboy's shoulder to make certain he wasn't just _playing_ dead. 'Come and look at the size of this one!' he beckoned the others closer, and Rose clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming out in rage as the outlaw kicked Dimitri onto his back.

How dare he?! He had no right to...

Without warning, the leader startled and took a half-step back, and in the next moment four guns were pointed at the body on the ground.

What? What was happening? Rose's heart took off at a mile a minute as she struggled to make out their conversation.

'It's the Russian.'

'It has to be. Look at the badge.'

'The sergeant told us dead or alive.'

'Well if he's alive now, he won't be by the time we make it to the front.'

'Who cares. We'll still get paid.'

 _If he's alive_? Rose's breath lodged in her throat and her chest constricted so painfully she thought her lungs would burst. Alive? It was impossible. She saw the soldier pull the trigger. She saw Dimitri go down. The pool of blood under his head was visible even from this distance. Nobody could have survived a shot like that... But if he _was_ alive?

'Let's go then. It's a long ride south, but the sooner we get to the frontlines, the sooner we get paid.'

The frontlines? These must be the Confederate sympathisers Dimitri was hunting this morning!

The rebel leader guided his horse closer and retrieved a coil of rope from the saddle. 'Tie him on tight, boys,' he directed. 'This is a prize we can't afford to lose,' and it took all four men to hoist the sheriff up onto the horse's back.

 _NO_! Rose's vision was darkening at the corners as she watched them lash her husband's limp body, face-down, to the horse. You can't take him! He's mine! She was shaking now - partly from the chill of the damp material against her skin, but mostly out of shock and fear. She just thought she'd lost him forever, and now they were going to take him away from her all over again.

She wanted to shoot them all dead. But she couldn't. What if Dimitri was still alive and she hit him? The thought of being responsible for his death was too great a burden to bear.

But she couldn't just let them steal him.

The men were already mounted on their horses and moving off when she came to her decision. 'BRING HIM BACK!' she screamed, stumbling out from her hiding place and lining up the leader in her sights.

One shot.

All four riders looked back at her but they didn't stop. If anything, they sped up.

Breathe. Aim. Shoot.

The man on the left clutched his arm and let out a roar of pain, twisting in his saddle and emptying a volley of bullets at the mystery assailant.

Rose didn't even flinch as the wild shots whistled past her.

She fired off her last two bullets in quick succession.

But the riders were already too far away.

' _CHYORT_! _SVOLOTCH_!' she cursed them in every way she knew, picking up a rock and hurling it after them, but it didn't ease the burning ache in her chest.

The sound of hooves was growing fainter when Rose finally stopped shouting. She tried to swallow but there was a lump the size of Texas in her throat, and she blinked back hot, angry tears as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Dimitri was gone. She'd lost him. Wait. The horses. She just had to get back to her horse and she could pursue the rebels and get her husband back. There was ammunition in the saddlebags and...

* * *

'Carly?!'

The riders were now just a dark blotch on the southern horizon, and Rose tore her eyes away from them to see a prim-looking young lady - smartly dressed and carrying a leather satchel over one shoulder - hurrying towards her from one of the homesteads along the road.

'Carly! Where are you?' the woman called out again, trying not to panic as she approached the lone figure by the barn. 'Have you seen my sister?' she didn't bother to introduce herself, but Rose was too preoccupied to care what her name was anyway. 'She's a few inches taller than me. Blonde hair, brown eyes...'

'Sydney?' a weaker voice responded from somewhere nearby.

Deputy Belikov squeezed her eyes closed, the anguish and suffering in that one word an echo of the darkness that was consuming her own soul. She wanted so badly to chase after Dimitri, but she knew she wouldn't be able to leave until she'd made certain the woman was safe.

'She's in there,' Rose pulled herself together as best as she could and led the way to the entrance of the barn, trying not to look at the body of the dead soldier - now bereft of his boots - and the dark stain on the ground where her husband had fallen. 'You go to her. I'll stay here and keep watch,' she instructed flatly.

The girl with the satchel met her eye in thanks then rushed to attend to her sister.

'I heard gunshots and thought...,' Sydney dropped to her knees and pushed the hair back from her sister's face. 'Oh, Carly,' she breathed, 'Look what's happened to you.'

Rose glanced over and her heart flooded with pity and anger as she took in the sight of Carly's tangled hair, the ripening bruises on her cheek and collarbone, and the trail of blood at her throat - still fresh in places where the blade had bitten in more deeply. There was a gaping hole where the woman's sleeve had been ripped from the bodice of her dress, and it was obvious from her protective posture that she was hiding further injuries beneath her skirts.

Sydney reached for her satchel as if to open it but changed her mind, placing a hand firmly on each of her sister's shoulders and speaking in a soft, urgent tone. 'I'm sorry to ask you this, but do you think you can move? I need to get you somewhere safe and warm so I can look at you properly. If we can just get you back to the fort, then father can...'

'Don't take me back there. Please,' Carly begged, like a frightened child. 'I can't face father like this. You know what he'd think.'

The younger woman sighed.

'I know you don't want to go back to Fort Freemont. I don't either, trust me. But where else would we go?'

Fort Freemont? Something clicked in Rose's brain.

'Sydney... You're Sydney _Sage_?' she took a few steps closer. She'd heard about Doctor Sage's daughter from Lisa and Adrian, but had never met her in person.

Sydney turned her head, noting for the first time the badge pinned to Rose's chest.

'And you must be Deputy Belikov,' she forced a smile. 'Our father informed us there was going to be a new sheriff and deputy in Saint's Town. Is Sheriff Belikov nearby? Do you think he'd be able to escort us back home?'

Rose pressed her lips together, not trusting herself to answer.

'It was him, wasn't it?' Carly gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth. 'I'm so sorry. It was all my fault.'

'What happened?' Sydney was confused.

Rose looked away, blinking furiously.

'He tried to save me,' Carly explained quietly. 'He got Captain Darnell away from me... then he took down Private Cartwright when he resisted... but Darnell had a hidden gun...,' she trailed off, not wanting to say any more in front of the deputy.

Sydney wasn't one to shock easily, and she armed herself with the brisk efficiency she'd learnt from her father.

'Where is he now?' her eyes darted from one woman to the other. 'Does he need medical attention? I'm a nurse. I can help him.'

'Gone,' Rose brought the conversation to a close. 'And we should be leaving too. I don't know what happened to the man that assaulted your sister, but he might come back. I have to inform Dimitri's family he won't be home tonight. Why don't you come with me? It's a few hours' ride to Cottonwood Creek Ranch but you'll be safe there, and you can decide what to do next when you've had time to rest and recover. Are you fit to ride?' she directed the last question to Carly.

The woman nodded bravely, grimacing as Sydney helped her up to stand.

'You both wait here and I'll get the horses,' Rose began, but Carly shook her head.

'I can walk. Just show us the way.'

'Very well,' Rose conceded, walking the Sage sisters out into the pale afternoon light and pointing them in the direction of their mounts. She felt tired all of sudden. So very tired. She wondered how she was going to survive the long ride home when she felt like she was going to collapse just trying to take a single step forwards. 'You two go ahead,' she suggested, trying to sound more composed than she felt. 'I'll catch you up in a minute.'

Sydney dipped her head in understanding and wrapped an arm around her sister's waist to support her as they moved slowly towards the road - two women so small and alone against the vastness of the barren winter landscape.

Rose waited until her companions were a distance away then let out a painful, shuddering breath, dropping to her knees as tearless sobs wracked her body.

'I'm coming, Dimitri,' she whispered. 'I'm not leaving you, I swear. I just have to get these girls to safety and then I'll follow after you. I'll find you and I'll bring you home, I promise. Just... stay alive. Please? For me?'

She didn't expect an answer, but when she lifted her head, the dull lustre of brass caught her eye and a wave of heart-sickness rolled through her body. Creeping forward on her hands and knees, she wrapped her fingers around her prize and stroked the familiar inscription. _Sheriff_. Dimitri's badge. It must have fallen off when he was being shifted onto the horse.

Rose didn't usually believe in omens, but this felt like a sign. Dimitri was telling her it was going to be okay. He knew she had a job to do before she could follow him. And he wanted her to know that even though he was gone for now, a part of him would remain with her always. She pressed the cold metal to her lips and stood slowly. Tonight she would deliver the Sage girls to safety and share the news with Dimitri's family. Tomorrow she would set out to find her husband.

* * *

The journey back took longer than Rose had hoped – the deputy on her own horse, and the Sage girls riding together on the other. Rain had hampered their pace and it was approaching dusk when the group finally crossed between the two white-washed tree stumps that marked the entrance to Lisa's ranch.

The shock of the day's events had affected Rose more deeply than she was willing to admit. She'd needed to stop at one point along the way to empty her stomach by the roadside, and the feverish pitching feeling in her head and her gut was so overwhelming now that she would have ridden straight into the front porch if somebody hadn't rushed down the stairs and taken the reins to halt her approach.

'Rose? What's wrong?' Christian O'Hara held the beast steady as the woman slid from the saddle, throwing an arm out to catch her as she stumbled. 'Are you hurt? Talk to me,' he urged, glancing over his shoulder to see Abraham Mazur assisting the Sage sisters down from Dimitri's horse; handing Pavel the reins and ushering the ladies onto the porch to shelter from the rain.

The deputy looked up, anguish twisting her features. 'Adrian Ivara, Eddie Castile. Fetch them here - _now_.'

For all their teasing and bickering, Mr O'Hara harboured a secret brotherly affection for his wife's wild friend, and it frightened him to see her so distressed. He wanted to press her for more information - offer her comfort if he thought she would accept it - but that's not what she needed from him. The best thing he could do to help her was follow her instructions, and quickly. Without further question, he swung up onto Rose's horse and turned its head towards town.

Rose watched him go in silence, and nearly a full minute passed before she realised she was standing in the rain.

 _Move_! she commanded her cramped, aching legs, and they carried her stiffly towards the front steps.

'Roza. You're back!' Viktoria burst excitedly from the house, looking around for her brother. 'Why did you take so long? Where's Dimka?... Who are they?' she added curiously, spying Carly Sage clinging tightly to her sister's hand; Sydney engaged in a hushed conversation with Abe Mazur.

Deputy Blikov had been strong - beyond anything that could be expected - but now she had stopped moving, the weight of all that had happened fell in a rush; physically crushing her downwards. She sank onto the front step and rested her forehead against the damp, wooden railing. It felt like her mind was separating from her body; shock and fear numbing her senses until all she could hear was a shrill high-pitched ringing sound; the same screaming emptiness she heard the moment after Dimitri was shot.

'Roza?' the Russian girl dropped down beside her, searching her face but seeing only a blank expression in return. ' _Mama_!' she called out sharply, and seconds later Olena hurried out from the house. 'Something's happened. She won't talk to me. What do we do?'

Olena Belikov was fast, but the small figure that pushed through the door behind her was faster.

Yeva descended the stairs and grabbed her new granddaughter by the hair, dragging her head away from the bannister and slapping her hard across the face.

'Dimka?' she demanded. 'Dimka?'

Broken from her daze, Rose leapt up to join her travelling companions. Their needs came first.

'Olena. There was... an attack. Carly was injured. Her sister is a nurse, but I think she needs a mother too. Will you take care of her?'

The Russian woman hurried over with outstretched arms.

'Come, dear. Let us make you more comfortable, then you and your sister can tell us what happened. As much or as little as want to share. Vika. Move your things. The ladies will take your room.'

Viktoria looked a little crestfallen at losing her bedroom but she nodded obediently, hanging back to listen as Sydney and Olena fell into a quiet discussion.

Yeva was not so easily distracted.

' _Dimka_?!' the old woman insisted, and Rose knew she couldn't put it off any longer.

'Shot... Taken,' she replied, hiding behind the expressionless mask she had seen Dimitri wear a thousand times. She couldn't panic. She had to stay strong - for him, for everybody.

The reaction was instantaneous. Yeva gripped Rose's arm, her fingers digging in deeply as she captured the younger woman's gaze; no tears, no words great enough to express the anguish they both shared. A few feet away, Abe Mazur darted out to stop Olena from falling as her knees buckled and a guttural moan burst from her lips, and Vika started up a horrible shrieking that brought the others running from inside the house.

'Mama? Roza?' Sonja and Karolina asked at once.

Paul clung silently to his mother's elbow and the babies were so frightened by the strange noises that they joined in with their own cries.

Lisa was the last to arrive on the scene, her hand resting protectively over her stomach.

'Rose? What's wrong?'

When Deputy Belikov spoke, her eyes were dark, her voice quiet and strange.

'Everybody inside. We need to talk.'

* * *

An hour later, a sombre gathering crowded around the O'Hara's dining table, twelve faces wearing the same expression of shock and grief as Rose recounted the events of the day.

She told them about meeting Dimitri on the road and hearing sounds of a struggle.

She told them about the violent scene they had witnessed in the barn with Carly Sage and the soldiers - omitting all but the most crucial details to protect the young lady's privacy.

When she got to the part about Dimitri being shot and abducted, there were gasps of dismay and from every corner of the room.

The news was too much for tender-hearted Lisa, who broke down in tears and had to be consoled by her husband. Ignoring propriety, Mr O'Hara embraced the weeping woman right there in front of all of their guests, and when she was calm again he stood behind his wife's chair at the head of the table with his hands settled reassuringly on her shoulders.

Eddie Castile, who was standing next to the china cabinet against the wall, muttered a word not fit for polite company, and Adrian Ivara cursed passionately - then hurried to offer his humblest apologies to Sydney Sage who was seated beside him.

The Belikova women were distraught but they had a quieter way of showing it. Sonja stood by the door and hid her face against baby Katya as she jogged the baby up and down to keep her quiet. Olena shed a few silent tears; clinging to Karolina's hand for comfort, and to Viktoria's hand to stop her from bolting out the door in pursuit of her beloved brother. Even Yeva allowed Abraham Mazur to rest his hand over hers in a gesture of sympathy and respect.

'...There's one more thing I need to say,' Rose waited until she had everyone's attention. 'Dimitri might be gone. He might be badly wounded and in the hands of desperate men... but I believe he is still alive. I will be leaving in the morning. I'm going to bring him back home.'

There was a long silence, then a clamour of voices sounded all at once.

Rose held up her hand to quiet them.

'Eddie. I want you to take over as sheriff of Saint's Town while I'm gone. People know you and trust you, and I can't think of anyone better for the job.'

The cowboy gazed at her steadily; his calm, reassuring presence cutting through the mood of tension and panic in the room. \

'Whatever you need, deputy,' he consented without hesitation.

He'd known Rose most of his life and had never forgotten the comfort she'd been to him after the loss of their friend Mason Ashford. If she needed his help now, then he wouldn't let her down.

'And, Adrian?' Deputy Belikov turned to the man further down the table.

He met her eyes, prepared to say yes before he'd even heard what she was asking. He might not love Rose the same way that he used to, but the girl had wormed her way into his heart and he was hers to command.

'I'll need your help at the saloon. I want you to keep things as normal as possible. Spread the word that Sheriff Belikov and I are attending to some business out of town and we'll be back within the week. If anybody gives Eddie trouble I want you to give _them_ trouble. Blackmail. Extortion. Refuse to serve them any drinks until they mind their manners. Whatever gets the job done and keeps the peace.'

Mr Ivara's frown turned into the beginnings of a smile.

'So you're asking me to use my powers for good, not evil?' he joked.

Sydney shot him a glare for treating the serious matter so flippantly, but Adrian knew he'd said the right thing when he saw Rose drop her worried expression for a brief moment to roll her eyes.

'Of course, I would be very honoured to assist Mr Castile,' the gentleman clarified, to appease the pretty blonde woman beside him. 'Anything to ensure the safety and wellbeing of my fellow citizens.'

Miss Sage didn't seem impressed by Adrian's eloquent speech but he wasn't discouraged. It might take him months or years to win her approval but Sydney Sage was worth the wait.

'And Olena...,' the deputy's voice faltered briefly. 'Take care of Lisa for me. I expect to be back long before the baby is due to arrive, but if I'm not...'

' _No_!' Lisa almost shouted, shrugging Christian's hands off her shoulders and reaching out to grab her best friend's arm. 'Don't do this, Rose! Not now of all times. It's not just about the baby. Winter is setting in. There's a war on. If you chase after Dimitri it won't be just the rebels that took him that you'll have to face - Indians, soldiers, Mormon forts, wild animals... It's too dangerous. _Please_. Don't leave.'

Rose shook her head, the crease between her brows deepening.

'He's my husband, Lis. I have to go to him - no matter the risk, no matter the outcome.'

'No you _don't_!' Lisa insisted. 'Dimitri was shot, Rose. _In the head_. You know what that means, don't you. If he _is_ alive, then he's not going to be the same man you knew and loved. I've seen injuries like that before... Tell her Sydney... Olena. Tell her to listen to the truth. Dimitri is _gone_. You need to let him go. Stay here and let us help you through this. Let _me_ help you - as you helped me when I lost _my_ family.'

'Stop, Lisa!' Rose was losing patience. 'That was completely different. Your family died. Dimitri might still be alive. I have to be sure. I would never forgive myself if he was out there somewhere - alive and hurt - and I didn't take a risk to find him. I'm going. I love you like a sister but you won't change my mind.'

'Fine!' the pregnant woman pushed back her chair roughly and stood up, her eyes flashing with anger. 'What about all of us? Will you listen to the truth if everyone agrees?' she turned to address the group.

'Raise your hand if you think Rose should stay.'

* * *

At first, Rose thought nobody was going to raise their hand, but her mouth pulled tighter when she saw Dimitri's mother make her vote.

'Olena? You want me to leave him out there alone? He's your son!'

The woman looked pained.

'Yes his is, Roza, and I know my son. It was clear in his letters how much he loved you. He would never want to put you in danger - even if it meant he forfeited his life. I cannot go against his wishes.'

'And I suppose _you_ share the same opinion?' Rose challenged the old woman at the end of the table, whose arm was also raised.

Yeva narrowed her eyes and answered in her native tongue.

'Vika?' the deputy scowled at her grandmother, demanding a translation.

'She says... you can't change his fate,' the girl winced in apology.

It appeared Viktora didn't agree with her babushka but there was no way she or her sisters would be able to stand against the matriarch of the family.

Lisa's face screamed 'I told you so', and the rest of the group remained silent, not wanting to interfere.

'Well, you can all sit there and accept it, if that's what you want to do,' Rose glared around at her friends and family as she jumped up from her seat, 'but I'm going after my husband, _Goddammit_!' she smashed her fist on the table, breathing harshly as she tried to hold back tears of frustration.

'I say, let the girl go.'

Rose looked up in disbelief to see Mr Mazur holding his own in a staring contest with Yeva.

'You think it wise for Roza to place herself in the way of certain danger?' Olena interrupted them.

In the months they had spent travelling from Russia to America she had learned to respect the man's opinion.

The lawyer disentangled himself from Yeva's dark stare.

'If it were up to me I'd chain Deputy Belikov in her own prison cell until I was certain she had changed her mind...'

The declaration won him a foul look from said deputy.

'...But speaking as Alberta Peterson's legal representative... Alberta knows her daughter just as well as you know your son Olena, and she would never stand in the way of Rosemarie's chance to be reunited with the man she loves.'

'Damn right!' Rose concurred.

'Having said that,' Abe continued less enthusiastically. 'I don't mean to belittle your skills as a tracker, Deputy Belikov, but how do you plan to locate the sheriff? You told us you suspected Dimitri was taken by Confederate rebels headed for the frontlines - but the Confederate Army has regiments stationed across eleven states, and sympathisers in the border states and territories as well. They could be headed for any of them.'

The deputy set her jaw.

'Then I'll stop at every house, and every fort and every town asking for information until I find them. I don't know the way exactly, but I'm sure I'll find somebody in town who will come with me if I offer a reward that's...'

'I'll go with you.'

'Christian?' Lisa turned on her husband, the colour draining from her cheeks.

'What?' Rose's eyes widened then narrowed. 'If this is your idea of a joke, Christian O'Hara, you can take whatever you're about to say and shove it up your ass.'

Christian ignored her comment.

'No joke Rose. I can't take you as far as Mississippi or Tennessee, but my survey party are heading south to Death Valley. You're welcome to ride with us. We'd organised to set out in a few days' time, but I think I can convince the others to leave as early as lunch time tomorrow.

A wail of dissent was already falling from Lisa's lips, but Christian pulled his wife close and brought his hands to her cheeks.

'If it was _you_ who was lost out there, I would stop at _nothing_ to see you again and make sure you were safe. Well, Rose is prepared to risk her life for Dimitri too, and we have no right to stop her.'

'But I'm her best friend!' she argued desperately.

'So _be_ her friend,' her husband counselled. 'Let her do what she has to do.'

Lisa waivered for a moment then pulled away from him, fixing an accusing eye on Rose.

'So _you're_ choosing to leave me... and _you're_ choosing to help her,' she glared back at Christian. 'Well, you can both do as you please, but I'm not having any part in it!'

Tears sprung to her eyes again and she fled from the room.

The silence that followed was broken by the scrape of a chair and Olena approached her daughter-in-law.

'I am truly sorry Roza. I love you for loving my son, but I cannot support this wild action of yours,' she gazed at her sadly then turned away. 'Come children... mother. Our Dimka may be with God tonight. We must pray for his soul.'

When the Belikovas were gone, Rose looked around at the stragglers. 'Anybody else want to leave?'

'Actually, I need to get back to the saloon,' Adrian announced smoothly. 'My patrons will be wondering where I am.' He got up and rounded the table, placing a hand on the deputy's shoulder. 'Don't lose heart, little lady. There's still hope. Come by on your way out of town and let me know if there is anything you need - money, supplies, fresh horses - whatever I have, it is at your disposal.

Rose met his eyes in gratitude, willing herself not to cry.

'There is one other thing, actually, if you're offering. Could you stop in at the Mastrano homestead on your way out and ask the reverend to pay us a call tonight? Dimitri's family want pray. They should have a preacher.'

'Of course,' Adrian nodded obligingly, then moved off to bid Sydney Sage farewell.

'I am truly sorry about what happened to your sister, Miss Sage,' he took her hand, his expression gentle and serious as he drew her up to stand. 'Where are the two of you staying? If you have need of accommodation you are more than welcome to a stay at my hotel - free of charge. It's the least I can do.'

Sydney's guarded demeanour softened slightly but she shook her head.

'Thankyou, Mr Ivara, but no. Carly is comfortable here and I don't wish to move her.'

The man's face fell at the rejection but he looked up quickly when she continued to speak, clinging a little tighter to his hand.

'But would you mind sending a telegram to my father for me?' Sydney asked. 'I don't want him sending a search party out for us. Just tell him Carly and I are safe and we will contact him in the morning.'

'Of course, Miss Sage. If you think of anything else, you have only to ask,' he bowed respectfully - almost reverently - over her hand, then turned his attention to the sandy-haired cowboy standing off to the side of the room.

'Well, Mr Castile. The ladies have spoken. Why don't you come with me to fetch Reverend Mastrano? You never know your luck - the preacher's daughter might be the one to answer the door,' he added, making the new sheriff's cheeks flush crimson. 'We can stop at the telegraph office when we get back into town, then return to the saloon together. If you and I are going to be in charge of this place, we've got some talking to do.'

Adrian and Eddie made their final farewells and departed, whittling the group down to four.

Sydney was returning to her place at the table beside Abe Mazur, when Rose noticed that Christian was still loitering near the doorway.

'Do you mind if I go to Lisa?' he asked sheepishly. 'It's going to be our last night together for quite a while and...'

'Of course not. Go!' she waved him out of the room, but he hovered uncertainly at the door.

'...I'll ask Mrs Carmack to leave some bedding out for you...'

It was his way of saying: 'I hope you'll be alright'.

'Scram, Loverboy,' she ordered him away.

It was her way of saying: 'Thankyou'.

* * *

The thought of blankets made Rose feel even more exhausted than she already was, and she approached the remaining two guests to make her own goodnights.

'I'm sorry to leave you, but it's been a very long day,' she announced tiredly. 'Sydney, if there's anything you or Carly need for your journey back to Fort Freemont in the morning...'

'I'm not going back,' the woman replied evenly. 'I'm coming with you.'

Rose blinked in confusion then shook her head.

'You can't come! You heard what Lisa said. It's not safe.'

'Nowhere is safe these days,' Sydney shrugged. 'And you really don't have a choice in the matter. Your husband only got dragged into this mess because he was trying to save my sister. What happened is our fault, so it's _my_ responsibility to help you find him.'

'Don't be ridiculous,' Rose frowned. 'You aren't responsible for what happened to Dimitri. This isn't your fight.'

'I think the lady has made her decision, Deputy Belikov,' Mr Mazur cut in. 'Miss Sage and I have spoken on the topic and we both agree it is for the best if she accompanies you on your journey.'

He turned to Sydney.

'Go and check on your sister, my dear, and remember - the other matter we discussed. Consider it taken care of.'

The blonde woman exited the room and then it was just Rose and the lawyer who remained.

'I'll be leaving shortly too,' Abe assured the deputy. 'Pavel has my carriage ready and we ride west tonight. I have a few contacts in mind who might have information to assist in the search for Sheriff Belikov. I don't want to raise your hopes too soon, but I will try to rendezvous with you along the road once I know more.'

Rose was nearly swaying with fatigue, but there was one question that she absolutely had to ask.

'I don't mean to appear rude or ungrateful, Mr Mazur, but why are you helping me? My husband and I are practically strangers to you.'

The man studied her keenly.

'Because I made a business agreement with the sheriff that I would reunite him with his family, and I always honour my agreements.'

Of course it was about business, Rose chided herself for reading too much into the situation.

'But that's not all...,' his expression changed, almost imperceptibly. 'I had a daughter once. If she was in trouble, then I'd move heaven and earth to make things right for her again... You remind me of her.'

Abe patted her shoulder then left before Rose could form a proper response.

Alone at last, the deputy dragged herself to an armchair in the sitting room; wrapping herself in layers of blankets and shifting a few times until she found a comfortable position. She was nearly asleep when she heard a voice filtering down the hallway.

Reverend Mastrano.

Clutching Dimitri's star-shaped badge to her heart, Rose imagined her husband's arms surrounding her as she listened to the reverend's prayer.

 _"Almighty God and Heavenly Father._

 _We pray for your daughter, Rosemarie Belikov. We ask for you to counsel and comfort her on this dark night, and to make her path clear._

 _Watch over your son, Dimitri Belikov. Grant him freedom from pain and safety from harm, and guard his soul against all evil._

 _Be to each of them a light in the darkness, a shelter from the rain and cold. Be their strength when they are weary and grant them hope when all hope is gone. Protect them from every misery and danger, and bring them safely to their journey's end._

 _Amen_."

* * *

 _ **.**_

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **So Dimitri isn't dead - phew! But is this fate better or worse?**_

 _ **As many of you guessed, the shooting in the barn is my interpretation of the cave scene at the end of Shadow Kiss - blended with the assault of Carly Sage, which is mentioned briefly in the Bloodlines series.**_

 _ **Now we head into Blood Promise territory - with Rose leaving home to find Dimitri. I'll leave it to you to guess what kind of state he'll be in if/when they do finally meet - and what might happen along the journey.**_

 _ **I apologise for the wait between chapters, but this storyline is something I want to get right & for my brain that takes time. For me, writing a scene is like seeing a movie in super slow motion. I 'watch' what plays out and try to put it into words for you. Sometimes the characters talk to me straight away. Other times they make me wait - the selfish bastards! True, I could have held off publishing until the story was completed, but without the motivation of a fortnightly deadline & all your encouraging reviews, it probably wouldn't be ready for another year!**_

 _ **Kudos to DamphiricAngel2014 for predicting the Carly Sage subplot - the Texas reference is for you :)**_

 ** _So... what happens next? Leave your theories in the reviews & I'll tell you if you're close!_**


	4. Parting Gifts and Wisdom

**_I was gone for a while there, but it's nice to get back to cowboy fantasy land again. Here's a nice, long chapter to make up for the wait :)_**

* * *

 **4\. Parting Gifts and Wisdom**

When Deputy Belikov awoke the next morning, her thoughts flew immediately to the attack in the barn.

 _Dimitri turned away from Captain Darnell and fired at the other soldier. Darnell drew a derringer from his boot. Dimitri swung his revolver back towards Darnell then toppled at the sound of a single gunshot - bleeding from the bullet wound in his head. And yet, when the rebels found him soon afterwards, he was still alive._

But how? Rose played the scene over in her mind countless times, but she couldn't work out how her husband had miraculously survived an injury that should have caused certain death.

After struggling with the problem for what seemed like an age, Rose conceded defeat. In the end, it didn't matter _how_ Dimitri had survived. It only mattered that he was still alive (or at least, he was sixteen hours ago), and soon she would be on her way to find him.

Spurred on by the thought of being reunited with her husband, the deputy dressed quickly in her riding habit, boots and hat, then collected the overnight bags she and Dimitri had brought with them to Cottonwood Creek Ranch - emptying their contents out onto the sitting-room floor to take inventory.

While there were a few of Dimitri's things among the pile, most of the items belonged to Rose; an excess of petticoats, spare underwear, her winter day dress, night clothes, a pot of scented cold cream, and a folded square of waxed paper containing her secret stash of buffalo jerky. She had enough money in her coin purse to buy food to last a few days' ride, but it was possible the mission to find Dimitri might take weeks, or even months. Rose would need to stop off in Saint's Town to pick up additional supplies for the journey; a few extra pairs of stockings, the heaviest coat she could find, warm bedding and plenty of food. There were already some basic medical provisions packed in one of the saddlebags, but it wouldn't hurt to take some extra whiskey and bandages as well - just in case they ran into trouble on the way. And ammunition. Lots of ammunition.

The creak of footsteps on the floorboards upstairs caught Rose's attention and she realised that the rest of the household must be awake.

'Not long now, cowboy,' she muttered to the empty room, grabbing the nearest carpet bag and beginning to stuff everything back inside - eager to track down Christian and Sydney to find out how soon they could depart.

Most of the items were packed away without a second glance, but when Rose came to her husband's meagre belongings, her pace faltered. Lifting Dimitri's nightshirt to her cheek, she buried her face in its collar and greedily breathed in his scent. Familiar notes of citrus, spices and sweat sent a wash of comfort through her body, and Rose allowed herself to indulge for a moment in memories of lazy Saturday mornings, stolen roadside embraces, and sweet, passion-filled nights.

'Roza?'

She startled, her heart clenching painfully to hear _that_ name spoken by a voice that was not Dimitri's.

'I have a message for you,' Viktoria announced from the doorway, her eyes still puffy from a night of private grieving. 'Mr O'Hara and Sydney Sage are ready to leave as soon as you've packed your things. They're waiting outside with the horses, and everybody has gathered to see you off.'

 _Everybody_? Rose doubted whether Lisa would be there to say goodbye after last night's outburst, and Olena had made it quite clear that she and her family didn't support Rose's search for Dimitri either. At this rate she'd be lucky if her farewell party consisted of Carly Sage and a couple of stray cows.

'Thank you, Vika,' she summoned a grimace. 'I'll be out directly.'

The Russian girl hesitated at the door, but instead of turning to leave she crossed the room quickly and dropped down to kneel beside Rose on the floor, clutching her sister firmly by the arm.

'Take me with you, Roza. I want to help you find him.'

Rose put down the night-shirt she had been holding and squeezed Viktoria's hand in gratitude.

'You don't know how much it means to me that you want to find him too, but I can't take you with me. You're only seventeen - and even if you were already an adult, your mother would never allow it.'

Viktoria narrowed her eyes, pulling back from Rose's touch.

'Didn't you run away from home when you were _sixteen_? I bet _you_ didn't ask your mother's permission before you left!'

A flicker of guilt crossed the deputy's features. She definitely didn't seek out Alberta's permission or advice before she and Lisa fled Saint's Town. She didn't even write a note to say goodbye.

'That was an entirely different situation,' she justified herself, pressing on despite Viktoria's hard expression. 'If it was up to me, I would take you with us in a heartbeat, but it's not my decision to make. Olena... Yeva... The girls... You have people who need you here.'

Vika's dark eyes flashed with hurt and accusation.

'I thought you - of all people - would understand why I need to _do something_ to help my brother... but I guess you're just like all the others.'

She jumped to her feet and stormed out of the room without looking back.

Alone again, Rose let her shoulders droop a little. It would have been nice to have at least one ally among the Belikovas but now it looked like she had lost Vika's support too. She sighed in resignation. She couldn't let something like this distract her from her mission. The only thing she could afford to focus on right now was finding Dimitri - with or without his family's blessing.

* * *

When Rose stepped out of the front door a few minutes later - her deputy's badge gleaming on her chest, and Dimitri's sheriff's badge pinned secretly to the underside of her collar - she was surprised by the number of people who had assembled to say farewell.

Olena, Yeva and Karolina stood in a huddle at one end of the veranda. (Sonja was indoors looking after the children, and Viktoria had locked herself in one of the bedrooms - protesting the injustice of not being allowed to join the search party). Sydney Sage was waiting to depart by the foot of the steps, apparently listening to an exchange between Carly and Reverend Mastrano, but her eyes closely shadowing the movements of Adrian Ivara as he peeled away from his conversation with Eddie and Christian to greet the serious, dark-haired woman who had just emerged from the house.

'Good morning, little lady. May I be of assistance?' Adrian glided to Rose's side, relieving her of her luggage and leading the way towards the horses.

'What are you doing here, Mr Ivara?' Rose had to hurry to match the gentleman's longer stride. 'I thought we arranged to meet you at the saloon on our way through Saint's Town.' The deputy frowned as a nasty thought sprung to mind. 'You haven't heard any bad news, have you?'

'Nothing of consequence,' Adrian quirked a reassuring smile, though he didn't seem his usual cheery self. 'Eddie and I put our heads together last night and organised a few supplies to help you on your way,' he set Rose's bags on the ground so he could point out the various packages and bundles tied to the back of her horse. 'We figured you'd already be stocked with the essentials, but we've added enough food and water rations to last you the first week, extra bedding, and a tent to keep you out of the weather when you make camp. I also took the liberty of selecting a few changes of clothing for you, and...'

The woman's grateful expression turned murderous.

'Tell me you did _not_ go through my private things, Adrian Ivara!'

He raised an eyebrow.

'There was once a time when I would have liked nothing more than to get my hands on your linens, Mrs Belikov, but never fear. I had one of the servant girls from the hotel sort out the particulars.'

Rose was not convinced.

'Honest,' the man raised his hands in innocence. 'In fact, I'd be grateful if we could change the topic now,' he darted a meaningful look back towards the house. 'I'm _trying_ to make a good impression on Miss Sage, and if she overhears me discussing your under-things it's not going to help my chances.'

Sydney's ears must have been burning because at that exact moment she turned her head and shot Adrian a reproving glance. He looked away quickly - hating the way she seemed to read his mind and disapprove of everything she found there.

'So you're serious about her then?' Rose's earlier indignation was replaced by curiosity. 'Mr O'Hara mentioned that something happened between you and Sydney while I was living in Silver Springs, but I couldn't get the whole story out of him.'

Adrian looked down at her archly.

'A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell.'

'Ha!' Rose smirked. 'Or maybe the gentleman isn't telling because there is nothing to tell?' she teased.

The brooding silence she received in reply alerted Rose that her comment might not be too far from the truth.

'I assume you've heard that Miss Sage plans to accompany me on the search for Dimitri?' she spoke more gently this time. 'How do you think you'll manage with her being so far away?'

'Christian told me when I arrived,' Adrian replied darkly, and when he blinked up to look at the deputy she hardly recognised him. 'Rose...,' the expression in his green eyes was raw and vulnerable as he grabbed her elbow, steering her around to the other side of the horse to hide from Sydney's accusing gaze. '...I need your help.'

'What have you done, Adrian?' Deputy Belikov demanded, her mind jumping to several disturbing possibilities. 'Are you in legal trouble?... Have you harmed somebody?' She dropped her voice to a fierce whisper. 'Is Sydney carrying your child?'

'Of course not,' he looked scandalised. 'Why would you even suggest that?'

Because you're a notorious womaniser who has a reputation for getting whatever he wants? Rose thought, but she didn't think it prudent to mention the fact aloud.

'Well, what is it then?' she pressed.

Adrian fiddled with a buckle on one of the saddlebags, agitation breaking through his usually cool facade.

'As soon as I became aware of Miss Sage's intentions to travel with you, I took her aside and told her in no uncertain terms that the journey south would be far too dangerous for a proper lady like her and that I wouldn't allow her to go.'

'Then what happened?' Rose cringed, knowing how she would have reacted if she were in Sydney's shoes.

'She said I had no right to tell what she could or couldn't do,' Mr Ivara gave the buckle a vicious tug, making the horse stamp in annoyance. 'When I tried to explain that I only wanted to keep her safe because I care for her, she... she slapped me!' his jaw pulled tight and he glared into the distance, too embarrassed to meet the deputy's eye.

Rose almost laughed. Here they were in the middle of a life and death situation, and Adrian had girl trouble. He was usually the one _causing_ trouble for women, not the other way around!

'It's not funny,' the man's pained expression wiped the smile off her face. 'She's the one, Rose. I just know it,' Adrian lent in closer, locking his fingers roughly around Rose's shoulders and pleading with her to understand. 'Promise me you'll keep her safe. I need her to know I'm not the total pig she thinks I am, and to show her that I am willing to do _anything_ to be deserving of her love. Please. If she has to go with you, then I'll wait for her. Just... bring her home safely when you're done?'

'Oh, Adrian,' Rose shook her head in pity. This was nothing like the perfume-and-flattery style of romancing he'd lavished on her when they first met a year ago. This was the real thing. Adrian Ivara was in love. 'You've got it bad, my friend.'

He nodded, pouting his bottom lip in a bid for extra sympathy.

This time Rose did laugh.

'Alright, alright. I get the message,' she patted his chest lightly, before freeing herself from his grasp. 'I give you my word that I will do _everything_ in my power to keep Sydney safe while we are away, and to bring her back to you as soon as I am able.'

The man clutched a hand to his heart in gratitude.

'And in the interests of a happy outcome to this affair,' Rose continued, beginning a slow circle of her horse to double-check that all the baggage was properly secured, 'I promise not to volunteer any stories about your past behaviour in the course of my private conversions with Miss Sage...,' she paused, amused to see Adrian visibly sag in relief, but then a sly expression came over her face. '...But if she asks me a direct question, I'm not going to lie!'

* * *

'You finally ready, slowcoach?' Christian greeted the deputy as she approached from the horses, ducking his head into a tan-coloured cowboy hat and settling it firmly over his ears.

Rose stalled, looking the man up and down in shock. With his ridiculous flop of hair hidden under the hat's broad brim, a casual necktie knotted around his throat, and his long pants tucked into knee-length boots - pulling tight to showcase a pair of surprisingly shapely legs - Mr O'Hara actually looked... dashing.

'Close your mouth or you'll start attracting flies,' he smirked, breaking the illusion of attractiveness immediately.

'Don't look so pleased with yourself, Mr O'Hara,' the woman retorted. 'I was just thinking that this is the first time I've seen you wearing something _practical_ for a change. You've always seemed more of a... feminine type to me.'

Christian's eyes narrowed at the slight to his ego, but he decided it would be best not to start trading insults with his wife's best friend before they had even left the ranch.

'I am pleased to challenge your preconceptions, Mrs Belikov,' he replied calmly. 'Now, if you are done critiquing my wardrobe choices, I suggest you make your final farewells. The rest of our travelling party are awaiting us at the hotel in Argenta, and I'd like to arrive in town well before sundown.'

'Of course,' Rose complied at once. Dimitri needed her, and she was ready to fly to his side.

In a matter of seconds she had made her way to the group at the foot of the stairs.

'It's time to leave, Miss Sage,' Deputy Belikov touched the lady's sleeve to get her attention. 'Is there anything else you need to do before we depart?'

Sydney shook her head, a small dint appearing between her eyebrows.

'Carly and I have said our goodbyes. Consider me at your disposal.' It was a polite figure of speech, but lacked the warmth to make it sound genuine.

'Thank you,' Rose smiled briefly in acknowledgement, before casting a dubious eye over her travelling companion's attire; a smart, beige day-dress, the bodice stylishly tailored with black collar and cuffs, and a matching black ribbon bordering the hemline of the skirt. 'Are you sure we can't get you another dress? This one is quite unsuitable for riding.'

It was a small miracle they'd made it all the way to Cottonwood Creek Ranch yesterday without Sydney's voluminous skirts getting caught underneath the horse and causing a horrible accident.

'It's the only one I have with me,' Miss Sage answered curtly, as though it should have been obvious. 'When we stop in at the next town I'll see if I can have a proper riding habit made up, but this will have to do for now. Carly? Will you walk me to my horse?'

Rose was taken aback by the woman's abrupt manner, thinking it was directed specifically at her, but then she saw the true object of Sydney's irritation. Adrian Ivara had motioned to join the Sage sisters but was beaten back by a withering glare that would have singed the hair off a tarantula's legs. Poor Adrian. What on earth had he done to upset the doctor's daughter so severely?

'Rosemarie?'

The deputy turned at the sound of Reverend Mastrano's voice and saw that her family and friends had formed a reception line, waiting to bestow their parting gifts and wisdom.

'I'm sorry we had to trouble you yesterday, reverend,' Rose began, but he cut her off with a shake of the head.

'It was no trouble at all, child. You always made my daughter feel welcome in Saint's Town - when Jill used to visit here as a child, and again when we moved here to stay - so I am glad of the chance to repay your kindness. God bless you, Mrs Belikov. I will hold you and your husband in my prayers every day until we meet again,' he gave her shoulder a fatherly squeeze then took his leave.

Sheriff Castile was next in line, a steady tower of strength and comfort.

'I'll keep a close watch over things in town while you're gone, deputy, and I'll check in on the ladies here at the ranch as often as I can.'

'Thank you, Eddie,' Rose hugged him tightly, hoping the townsfolk would take to their new sheriff without too much of a fight. 'Keep an eye out for Viktoria, won't you? She seems to be very... strong willed. She actually reminds me a little of myself before I met Dimitri.'

Eddie's eyes gleamed at the challenge.

'I appreciate the warning. If she gives me any trouble I can always do what the last Deputy Belikov did and lock her in one of the jail cells until she cools down a bit!' he shot the woman a knowing grin, then ushered her on to speak with the next well-wisher.

'Wait just a second,' Mr Ivara apologised, reaching into his jacket to retrieve a small, leatherbound pocketbook.

Instructing Eddie Castile to turn around, Adrian leant the book against the sheriff's back to pen a few words, then awarded the deputy his full attention.

'For you,' he handed Rose a narrow slip of paper, trying his best to look casual.

'Mr Ivara!' she stared at the bank check in shock, seeing her own name written next to the heading marked ' _Pay to:_ ', and Adrian's signature in the bottom right corner - underneath a blank line where the dollar amount should have been. 'I can't possibly take this!' she thrust the gift back at him. 'You've already helped too much.'

'There's no need to make a fuss, little lady,' he chided softly, pushing her hand away. 'It's for you - and her,' he nodded across at Sydney Sage, who was perched side-saddle atop her horse, rearranging the draping of her skirt while Christian held the reins. 'I've already given Mr O'Hara a wallet of paper bills to purchase any food and sundries you might require along the way, but if a more costly need arises... if you have to stay in one town for an extend period, or pay somebody for information, or purchase a new horse...'

'A new horse? But that would cost _at least_ twenty-five dollars!' Rose looked appalled. 'I appreciate your generosity, Mr Ivara, but I have _no_ intention of sending you bankrupt!' she hissed, attempting to return the check again.

Adrian bit back a smile, closing her fingers firmly over the slip of paper.

'You could by a new horse every day for the next year and I'd barely even notice a dip in the bank balance.'

The woman's jaw dropped.

'Exactly how rich are you?' she stuttered.

His smile broadened.

'Well, let's just say I decided to give up gambling a few months ago, but I spent a very memorable weekend in San Francisco bidding a final farewell to some of my favourite gambling establishments... and I fleeced the lot of them for every last dime they had.' A roguish expression came over his face. 'Why the sudden interest in my financial affairs, if I may ask? Are you beginning to regret choosing Sheriff Belikov over me?'

'Never!' Rose shook her head emphatically.

The idea of anybody replacing Dimitri was ludicrous – no matter how rich or handsome the suitor might be.

'Well you'd better go and get him then,' Adrian urged her gently, stooping to kiss her first on one cheek then the other, before stepping back to make way for Olena Belikova.

* * *

'My daughter...'

Rose had barely made it through Adrian's farewell without letting her emotions get the better of her, but seeing the love and sadness that lined Olena's face was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

'I am sorry I abandoned you last night, my dear Roza, but the shock of the news you brought us was too much for my heart and mind to bear,' she cupped the younger woman's cheek, searching her eyes for forgiveness. 'I still wish you would change your mind - that you'd stay here with us in safety - but I believe I understand why you need to go. And I give you my blessing.'

'Thank you, Olena,' Rose whispered roughly. A burden she didn't know she was carrying lifted suddenly, and she felt lighter and more hopeful than she had all morning. 'I'll find Dimitri and...'

'I do not see why you are wasting your time on this journey,' Yeva pushed forward, her pruned face puckered with reproval. 'You will be too late to save him.'

Rosemarie _Hathaway_ would have seized the old witch by her shoulders and screamed at her that she was wrong, but Rosemarie _Belikov_ managed to contain the contempt and anger that bubbled up inside her.

'How could you possibly know that?' she scowled, fists clenched at her sides.

Yeva didn't bat an eyelid.

'I have seen it. Only a fool would argue with fate.'

Rose took a slow, calming breath then drew herself up to her full height.

'You don't scare me, old woman. I am going to find my husband, whether you think he's alive or not. Do you see this ring?' Rose waved her left hand in her grandmother's face. 'I vowed to love Dimitri for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. I don't give a damn about whatever Russian voodoo powers you think you have. I _will_ find him, and I _will_ bring him home, and there's _nothing_ you can say or do to stop me!'

The pair had drawn closer and closer until they were only inches apart, the raw energy crackling between them. Neither woman seemed willing to concede defeat, but then - in an unexpected move - Yeva backed down.

'Do what you like, I suppose,' she muttered, 'Just don't say I didn't warn you when you come home empty-handed.'

The deputy's patience had officially expired, but a light touch on her arm stopped her from unleashing an angry reply.

'If you do manage to find my son...,' Olena began. ' _When_ you find my son,' she corrected herself, ignoring Yeva's piercing glare, 'will you please give him this from me?'

Hearing her cue, Karolina stepped forward and handed Rose a bulky parcel. It was lighter than expected, and whatever was inside made a soft scratching noise against the brown paper wrapping.

'I knitted this blanket for my Dimka when he was just a boy,' Olena explained. 'Perhaps, if he has something of home it will bring him safely back to us.'

She leant in to kiss Rose's cheek - whispering a Russian blessing in her ear - then took her sulking mother by the arm and escorted her slowly towards the house.

'Roza?' Karolina hung back a little longer to speak privately with her sister-in-law. 'Don't listen to babushka. Sometimes she is wrong.'

Rose didn't miss the hidden implication. 'But sometimes she's right?'

'Sometimes,' Karo smiled apologetically, '...but you mustn't let it trouble you. _Babushka gadala, da nadvoye skazala_.'

The American girl looked at her blankly.

'In English it means... _nobody knows for certain_. One way, or another way, you must follow what you believe. _I_ believe that my brother is still alive and that you will bring him home to us. So does Sonja. And Vika too. Go to him, Roza. And come home again soon - together.'

Rose dropped the brown paper package and flung her arms around Dimitri's sister, squeezing her fiercely.

'We will,' she whispered into Karolina's shoulder.

'I know,' Karo whispered back, then pulled away to hurry after her mother and grandmother.

Joining the others at the horses, Deputy Belikov secured Olena's parcel with the rest of her luggage before turning her attention to the small knot of supporters who remained.

'So I guess this is goodbye,' Rose announced, trying to hide her disappointment at the fact that Lisa was not among the group. 'Christian has already advised you of our route to the Sylvania Mountains, but I'll try to send you a telegram if plans change... Miss Sage,' she looked to Carly, 'Do you need us to send word to your father when we pass through town?'

Carly shook her head.

'No thank you. I've already made other arrangements... but could you do something else for me?' she asked earnestly. 'Please promise me you'll take care of Sydney. She's the strongest, smartest, bravest women I know, but she's still my little sister and I don't want her getting hurt.'

A few feet away, Sydney's cheeks coloured in embarrassment - mortified at being babied in front of an audience.

'We'll take care of one another,' the deputy answered diplomatically. In all truth, she would have preferred to travel alone, but Sydney Sage seemed to be intelligent, clear-headed and determined - all desirable traits to find in a travelling companion - and Rose had a suspicion she might have need of the nurse's medical skills before the journey was over.

With nobody left to farewell, Deputy Belikov and Mr O'Hara moved to their horses to depart.

' _WAIT_!' a voice called out from the front porch.

Rose turned, one boot poised in the stirrup, and Christian - already half-way into the saddle - jumped back down at once and scurried to help his pregnant wife descend the stairs.

What now? Rose thought apprehensively, assuming her friend had come to make a scene - maybe to give her a lecture on why it was futile to chase after Dimitri, or to beg her to stay - but it was clear that Mrs O'Hara's intentions were different.

'Breakfast - for the road,' Lisa puffed, holding out a tea towel containing something warm and fragrant. 'I can't believe I nearly missed you. Mrs Carmack was going to bake a pumpkin loaf for you to share on the way, but I wanted to do it myself - as a peace offering. Please take it, Rose,' she urged, her heart nearly breaking at the wary expression she received in return.

'Last night...,' she scrambled to explain herself. '...I was selfish and thoughtless. You needed a friend and I wasn't there for you.'

Lisa looked at the ground in shame but when she lifted her eyes again they were filled with such sincerity and conviction that Rose forgave her before she even knew she'd done it.

'I can't take back what I said, but I want you to know that I'm sorry, and you're right - Dimitri is your life now and you have to go after him, no matter the risk.'

In less than a second Rose's arms were around her friend's shoulders, the loaf of bread probably crushed beyond recognition but neither of them cared.

'Thank you,' she mumbled into Lisa's hair.

'I'm going to miss you so much,' the blonde woman whimpered in reply.

'I'll miss you too,' Rose confessed, 'but I promise I'll come back as soon as I find Dimitri. I will think of you every day and we'll both be back before you know it.'

Mrs O'Hara drew back from the embrace.

'But you might be gone for weeks!' she fretted.

'We've just survived an entire year apart, remember, so this will be a piece of cake,' Rose assured her. 'Let's just do what we did last time - we'll write. I can tell you about the new places I've been, and you can be my eyes and ears in Saint's Town. Let me know how things are going at Cottonwood Creek - for you and Dimitri's family... and make sure you tell me if Adrian and Eddie get up to any funny business while I'm out of town.'

Lisa's face lit up in approval, then clouded over again.

'But how will I know to where to send the letters?'

The deputy thought for a second.

'Keep them,' she smiled gently. 'That way I'll have to come back, right? You know I can't stand missing out on your gossip!'

They hugged again, and after Christian had claimed one final kiss from his wife, the travellers took to their saddles and headed off on the first leg of their journey.

* * *

It was sixty-eight miles from Saint's Town to Argenta, a distance that Rose could have covered in under six hours if she were riding alone and unencumbered, but with Sydney being only a moderately experienced rider, and their horses weighed down with excess luggage, the journey took them closer to eight hours.

'That was cutting it fine,' Christian glanced up at the dimming sky as they drew to a halt outside a tall building on the main street - the word SALOON stencilled in large, red letters above the entrance.

There was probably still another hour left until sundown, but a thick layer of cloud was obscuring the late-afternoon sun, making for poor visibility and plummeting temperatures. Travelling the California Trail was dangerous enough in broad daylight, but with these unfavourable conditions the road was a virtual death trap.

'Well, we _would_ have gotten here sooner if you hadn't insisted on stopping for a hot meal at the last town,' Rose grumbled, dismounting to tether her horse to one of the posts outside the saloon.

'A man's got to eat to keep his strength up, Deputy Belikov,' Mr O'Hara reminded her, 'and the horses won't take us very far without rest. Besides, the stopover gave you a chance to question the local townsfolk about Dimitri, so it was worth the delay, wouldn't you agree?'

The deputy did agree, though very reluctantly. If she had her wish they'd be halfway to Tennessee by now.

After helping Miss Sage down from her saddle, Christian turned to address both of his travelling companions.

'Well, I don't know about you, ladies, but I could do with some warm supper and an early night. My colleagues will have already secured rooms for us. If you two can wait here a moment, I'll head inside and fetch a boy to stable the horses then return to assist with the bags.'

Both Rose and Sydney were perfectly capable of carrying their luggage without help, but the horses couldn't be left unattended so the two women waited as requested, an awkward silence settling between them.

'How's your backside after that ride?' Rose's attempt at breaking the ice was met with a humourless stare.

'I have an errand to run,' Sydney announced abruptly, collecting her medical bag and shrugging the strap over her shoulder. 'I saw a dressmaker's shop a few doors down. She might be willing to run up a riding outfit for me overnight to save the delay in the morning. Please start your supper without me. I'll take my meal in my room later.'

She took off down the street without waiting for a reply, and Rose bit back a grin when she noted the peculiar limp to Sydney's gait. Apparently, Miss Sage's backside had not fared well after all. The cultured lady was probably more accustomed to riding in a horse-drawn carriage than on the horse itself. No wonder she was in such an unsociable mood.

The deputy waited alone by the horses for one minute, then five, then ten. She was half-considering abandoning her post to see if the local sheriff's office could give her any information about Dimitri, when an exasperated-looking Christian emerged from the saloon.

'I couldn't find Mr Sarcone or Mr Barnes at the bar or in their rooms,' he muttered, unable to meet Rose's eye for some reason. 'The barkeeper said they've probably headed across to Aunt Rhonda's place. I'll have to go and get them so we can discuss our travel plans for the morning. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be back...,' he shifted his weight uncertainly then hurried away towards an unassuming parlour house on the opposite side of the street.

Aunt Rhonda? The bordello madam Dimitri had dealings with when they were investigating the disappearance of Sonya Karp!

Rose's first reaction was jealousy. She had no doubts about her husband's love and fidelity, but she still couldn't stomach the idea that he had spent time in a houseful of loose, scantily-clad women. Her second, more pressing thought was that the madam might have heard news of Dimitri (or the rebels who'd abducted him) through one of her customers. Rose's third realisation was that Christian O'Hara was now disappearing into a brothel only hours after saying farewell to his pregnant wife, and while she didn't believe the man to be a philandering swine, she decided she'd better follow after him to make absolutely certain that nothing untoward should happen.

Feeling like a deviant and a snoop, Deputy Belikov shadowed after her best friend's husband and entered the bordello.

Christian wasn't hard to find. He was standing off to one side of the room, conversing with a pair of gentleman who were sprawled comfortably on a settee; each in the company of a beautiful soiled dove.

'Another half an hour - an hour at the most, Mr O'Hara, and we'll be with you,' drawled the thicker-set man, his attention never breaking away from the woman perched on his lap.

'I'm afraid that won't do, Mr Sarcone,' Christian insisted, his desire to leave becoming immediately more urgent when he noticed who had followed him into the room. 'We really must leave. _Now_. You too, Barnes, that is... if you still want to have a job in the morning,' he frowned at the man beside Mr Sarcone, who was nursing a whiskey and enjoying what appeared to be a very relaxing shoulder massage.

Barnes roused himself begrudgingly and caught sight of Rose haunting the doorway.

'Who's the broad?'

'Who indeed?' another voice crooned; as sweet as honey and as dangerous as poison.

Rose turned her head and her mouth went dry. At the far end of the room sat a tall, slender woman - not young and nubile like the other doves in the parlour room, but somehow more breathtaking and infinitely more intimidating as well.

'Come and let me see you, sweetheart. I won't bite,' Aunt Rhonda teased, beckoning the newcomer closer.

Ignoring the hammering of her heart and the half-dozen pairs of eyes following her every move, Rose squared her shoulders and approached the madam.

* * *

'Look at you!' Rhonda's eyes widened in appreciation, and she reached out eagerly to trail her fingers through the younger woman's hair. 'A very pretty dove indeed. What's your story pet? You been in the business long?' she brushed her palm carelessly over Rose's shoulder and let her hand come to rest on the deputy's badge at her breast. 'Oh, I like this trick, clever girl. Most of our gentlemen customers have had a brush with the law at one point or another, and I suspect they'd all leap at the chance to give a deputy sheriff a good poking!'

Deputy Belikov was not impressed. She swatted the madam's hand off her bosom and flashed a scowl over her shoulder at Christian, who was walking towards the exit with his associates, hooting with laughter.

'I am _not_ a prostitute! My name is Rose Belikov - the new deputy of Saint's Town. I believe you know my husband, Sheriff Dimitri Belikov? He came here a year ago to help when you had that trouble with Micky Tanner and your girl Ambrosia.'

'Hmm...,' she considered the question for longer than necessary. 'Sure, I think I remember a _Deputy_ Dimitri Belikov. Strong jaw. Exotic accent. Tight ass. Now there's a man I wouldn't mind wrapping my legs around...'

'That's _my husband_ you're talking about,' Rose warned.

Rhonda arched an eyebrow.

'Then you know exactly what I mean, darling... And what is it you want from _me_ , I wonder? Don't know how to please your man? Come for a few pointers from an expert?'

Rose bristled, dropping her voice to an angry hiss.

'Of course I know how to please him. I just came in to ask if you'd seen him.'

'If you're so good at pleasing your husband, then what would he be doing in a place like this?' the madam's eyes flashed wickedly, and Rose had to ball her fists tightly to prevent herself from assaulting an unarmed woman.

'He's been shot. Bad,' she explained through gritted teeth. 'He was taken by four men - rebels headed for the southern lines, we believe. They may have passed this way. Have you heard anything?'

The woman's provocative manner was gone in an instant.

'Nothing,' she answered with finality.

'I can pay, if that's what you want?' Rose pressed.

Money had a way of making people talk and, thanks to Adrian, she had plenty to bargain with.

'I don't want your money, child,' Rhonda cut her off with a frown. 'If I had information that would help you find your husband I'd tell you for free. He did me a great favour once and I never got the chance to thank him in person.'

'What did he do?' the deputy demanded, an uneasy feeling squirming in the pit of her stomach.

A shadow passed over the madam's features.

'In August last year, a gang of outlaws rode though Argenta and attacked my girls. Five of my doves were wounded that day. Two died later of their injuries - one of them was my daughter, Ambrosia.'

Rose opened her mouth to offer her condolences but Rhonda didn't seem to notice.

'I held her in my arms as she passed, and prayed to God that somebody would make those bastards pay for their crimes. A few days later we heard the news that your Dimitri shot two of the outlaws dead and had that James Nathan sonofabitch thrown into Alcatraz Prison. So now you see,' the woman looked at Rose, her mouth tight with bitterness, 'why I am indebted to your husband.'

There was a short silence, broken by Deputy Belikov.

'I'm sorry for your loss,' she said simply.

The prostitute tilted her head in surprise, never expecting to be treated with such tenderness or respect.

'Maybe there is one way I can help you...,' she reached out suddenly and clasped Rose's hand.

Uncomfortable, the deputy tried to pull away.

'I don't think...'

'Hush. Let me concentrate.' The madam shut her eyes for only a moment then jumped back, wringing her fingers as if they had been burnt. 'I'm sorry. I cannot help you. Go home, child. Forget about him.'

Rose's expression hardened.

'Why?' she demanded. 'What just happened? What did you see?'

'It would be too cruel to tell you. Go home, little girl. Start again,' Rhonda urged. 'Take another husband. Raise a family. Live your life. Be happy.'

'No!' Rose scowled deeply. 'Dimitri _is_ my family, and I would happily give up my life if it meant seeing my husband again - even for one more hour. Good omens or bad, I will _not_ abandon him.'

The madam shook her head, almost sadly.

'Suit yourself,' she began to turn away but paused. 'If you get as far as Memphis and need a place to stay, the woman who runs the main bordello in town is a friend of mine - Lady Scarlett, they call her. If you mention my name, I'm sure she'd be willing to put you up for a night or two.'

'I trust I'll be able to find _suitable_ accommodation,' the deputy replied firmly.

Rosemarie Belikov would not be sleeping in a whorehouse.

A smile began to form at the corners of Aunt Rhonda's perfectly-painted lips.

'Well, if you do pass through the area, be sure to keep an eye out for a working girl called Miss Kelly. A few of my doves moved south recently to service the troops on the front lines and Kelly Hayes has been greatly missed by our regular clientele. She even caught the eye of your Sheriff Belikov when he paid us a visit!'

Rose began mentally listing all of the places she might bury Rhonda's body if the woman made one more lewd comment about Dimitri.

'I always wondered about that, you know. Given how little interest he showed in my other girls, I actually thought he might be the type of gentleman who prefers the company of other gentlemen...'

Rose narrowed the list down to two good options, turning her mind to the choice of murder weapon.

'...but now I've seen you I finally understand why. Dark hair, round hips, full bosom, juicy, red lips. He was looking at my Kelly but he was seeing you - how sweet,' the madam continued on, oblivious to her own impending doom. 'If you do see Miss Kelly, pet, make sure you tell her Aunt Rhonda sends her love, and there's always a place for her here when she's ready to come back.'

'If I see her I'll let her know,' the deputy replied tightly, then hurried from the building, storming blindly down the steps and colliding with somebody coming in the opposite direction - both of them falling down in a heap on the side of the road.

' _CHYORT_!' Rose shouted angrily, disentangling herself from the other woman and glaring down at her own mud-streaked hands and knees. 'Can't you watch where you're going?'

'I don't know why you're cursing at me!' the girl snapped back. 'I was just about to knock on the door and you came barrelling out without even looking and...'

Rose's eyes flew up, her face turning bright red with shock and exasperation.

'Vika?! What on God's good earth?!'

* * *

.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 ** _So... Not the most dramatic chapter after the last few, but at least I'm not giving you a heart attack this time, hey?!_**

 ** _I had to laugh when researching the price of horses - $25 for a horse sounds affordable, but that was two weeks' wages back then!_**

 ** _It was fun making Dimitri visit a brothel in the last Deputy Belikov story, so it's only fair that Rose suffers the same embarrassment now! (There's actually a longer story-arc at work here – I wonder if you can pick it yet?)_**

 ** _Oh, silly Vika. I'd planned to include her full scene at the end of this chapter but had to delay it as the word count was getting a bit out of hand. Sorry that means you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out what I've got in store for her._**

 ** _More on Sarcone & Barnes next chapter too - you can probably guess who they are already._**

 ** _Anybody else get stuck playing Sentence Tetrus when you're writing?_**

 _She startled, her heart leaping into her mouth to hear the name that her husband called her spoken by a different voice._

 _She startled, her heart leaping into her mouth to hear her husband's name for her spoken by another._

 _She startled, her heart leaping into her mouth at the sound of her husband's name for her spoken by someone else._

 _She startled, her heart clenching painfully to hear the name Dimitri had given her spoken by somebody else._

 _She startled, her heart clenching painfully to hear that name spoken by someone other than Dimitri._

 _Etc. Oh God. Make it stop!_

* * *

 ** _*_** ** _Important update on my publishing schedule_** ** _*_**

 ** _I hoped to post a new chapter once a fortnight, but life has decided 'no'. Family stuff is stressful at the moment, so on the rare occasions I do have time to write, I'm struggling to concentrate on the task. Part of me wants to put this whole story on hold until things settle down again, but I also love writing and look forward to the escape it gives me. So here's all I can promise... I'll work on the story whenever I can, and publish as often as I can. If you haven't heard from me for a while, please feel free to send me a PM to check on how the next chapter is going. I'll be lurking on FanFiction even if I'm not posting, and I'll take all the love/encouragement you can give me :)_**


	5. Unacceptable

_**Vika, Sydney, guns, arguments and campfires. Hope you like it :)**_

* * *

 **5\. Unacceptable**

'Vika?! What on God's good earth?!' Rose demanded, practically dragging her sister-in-law towards a darkened shopfront across the street. Viktoria was in enough trouble already, without a rumour getting around that she'd been seen arguing with another woman outside a brothel.

'Don't act so surprised,' the runaway shrugged herself free of Rose's grasp, her jaw jutting out in defiance. 'I told you I wanted to help find Dimitri but you didn't listen, so I decided to follow you myself.'

'But _how_?!' the deputy hissed.

Dimitri's little sister had managed to track them eighty miles across unfamiliar territory, with no chaperone, no money, and no method of transport. If Rose wasn't so angry she'd be impressed.

Vika looked smug.

'I overheard Mr O'Hara say you'd be stopping the first night at Argenta. It wasn't that hard to borrow a horse from the stables and ask for directions when I passed through Saint's Town.'

'You _stole a horse_?!' Rose squawked, then quickly darted her head around to check she hadn't been overheard by any passers-by. 'Do you have any idea how serious a crime you've committed?'

'I don't see why you're making such a big deal about it,' Viktoria defended herself. 'It was you who gave me the idea in the first place. You stole a horse from my brother the day you first met, remember? Only you did it to run _away_ from Dimitri, and I'm trying to chase after him.'

The deputy huffed in frustration.

'I understand you're anxious to help, but that still doesn't justify your actions. How could you steal from Christian and Lisa when they've just welcomed you into their home? It's completely unacceptable!'

'The stables were full of horses! I bet they wouldn't even notice if one went mis-...'

Vika was silenced by a warning frown.

'And you might think it's heroic and selfless rushing out to find Dimitri while everyone else waits safely at home,' Rose continued, 'but did you stop to consider what torment your mother must have suffered today? Her son is already missing and now she's lost you too. You're not going to like this, Vika, but I have to send you home. Olena needs you. Your place is back at Cottonwood Creek Ranch with your family.'

'But you're my family too, Roza,' the girl wheedled, an injured, pleading expression overtaking her features. 'Let me ride with you and we can find Dimitri together.'

Thanks to a childhood spent butting heads with Alberta, Rose had mastered the subtle arts of argument and persuasion, and she wasn't going to be swayed by Viktoria's passionate declarations or the beseeching look in her doe-brown eyes.

'You're right,' Rose returned the younger woman's gaze unflinchingly. 'I _am_ a part of your family, and as your big sister - and the deputy sheriff of Saint's Town - I'm making the decision to send you back.'

'But, you can't!'

The deputy was unapologetic.

'I can, and I will. We'll both stop in at the telegraph office now to inform Olena that you are safe and will be returning home first thing in the morning...'

Vika's shrill cry of protest fell on deaf ears.

'...And _then_ you will come with me to the saloon and apologise to Mr O'Hara for betraying his trust and stealing his lawful property.'

Family or not, Vika couldn't just go traipsing around the Nevada Territory taking other people's horses whenever she liked, and it was far better that she learnt that lesson at the hands of Christian O'Hara than from a stranger who would happily see her swinging from the end of a rope.

'I _WILL NOT_!' Viktoria refused hotly.

'You will,' Rose didn't bat an eyelid, 'and if you want any supper tonight, then you'll be sure to apologise _nicely_.'

* * *

Half an hour later, Deputy Belikov was seated at a table in the saloon, scraping the last remnants of mutton stew from her dish as she listened to the conversation between Mr O'Hara and his colleagues. Sydney was absent - still occupied at the dressmakers - and Vika sat low in her chair beside Rose, sulking and hungry. (The apology had not gone smoothly.)

'Everything is in place,' said the man who had introduced himself as Raphael Sarcone. He would have been in his early thirties; dark-haired with a broad chest, meaty arms, and eyebrows that reminded Rose of a pair of well-fed buck moth caterpillars. 'We should be ready to depart at first light... that is, if your _lady friends_ have the stamina for a full days' ride,' he cast a dubious glance toward the deputy.

'Miss Sage and I will be ready to travel at dawn,' Rose answered firmly, disliking the insinuation that she and Sydney might be lacking in stamina because of their sex. 'I had a look at Mr O'Hara's map earlier today and saw a settlement ninety miles south of here. If we keep a quick pace and change our horses along the way I think we should be able to make it there before sundown.'

A sardonic smile spread across Raphael's face.

'Ninety miles?! Have you been at the laudanum, deputy?'

His scoff was echoed by the man who sat next to him, Dean Barnes; a younger, leaner military-type with a tinge of ginger through his neatly trimmed beard.

'What's the problem?' Rose challenged them both at once. 'Don't _you_ have the stamina?'

Mr Sarcone fixed her with a condescending look, slowing his speech as if he were talking to a small child.

'We're taking four pack-horses loaded with provisions to last us through winter. We'll be lucky if we make it _fifty_ miles a day, and that's if the weather holds.'

'Fifty?' the deputy physically deflated.

Her chances of finding Dimitri were fading with each hour they spent apart, and she was already a full day behind. At this rate it seemed unlikely they'd ever catch up to him. Tears of frustration prickled at the back of Rose's eyes and she dropped her gaze to the table, not wanting the others to catch her moment of weakness.

A hand brushed against her arm - there and gone again in the briefest moment.

'Slow and steady, remember?' Mr O'Hara reminded her quietly. 'If he's out there, you'll find him.'

Rose blinked up in surprise and gratefulness. Ever since their first meeting, Christian had made it a personal hobby to torment and provoke her, yet this was the second time in as many days that he'd shown a genuine display of friendship. It was strange. But not necessarily a _bad_ kind of strange. Well, if Christian O'Hara was putting in an effort to be civil, then she'd better try to be on her best behaviour too.

'Fine. Fifty miles a day it is then,' Rose conceded, 'but not a inch less. I've got a sheriff to find, and you three have got a mountain pass to discover, so let's be quick about it.'

'Yes ma'am,' Mr Sarcone complied, taken aback by the tone of authority in the young deputy's voice, and Mr Barnes quickly added his agreement.

Neither of them particularly enjoyed taking orders from a female, but they both realised it was best not to oppose a woman on a mission - especially not when that woman owned a gun and knew where they would be sleeping.

Christian simply nodded, a shadow of a smile at his lips. It was nice to see Rose bossing somebody else around for a change.

There was a lull in the conversation as a serving girl approached, unceremoniously dumping a helping of fruit mince pie onto their gravy-streaked plates before moving off to the next table.

'What's the latest news you've heard of the war, Barnes?' Mr O'Hara enquired of his colleague, prodding the pie-crust gingerly with a fork. 'Have you had any word from your brother's regiment?'

'Not for a few weeks,' Dean stabbed at his dessert and gulped down a large mouthful before continuing. 'The Confederate Armies are holding their ground in the south, but our side took a small victory in one of the boarder states last month. Major General Fremont marched on Springfield, Missouri with a force of twenty thousand men and sent the Rebs running with their tails between their legs. Rumour has it that Fremont is staking to claim Missouri for the Union, and plans to abolish slavery throughout the state before Christmas.'

'Slavery?' Viktoria finally emerged from her sulk to join the conversation. 'But I thought America was supposed to be the land of the free.'

'It's not that simple, miss,' Mr Barnes frowned. 'The North has been working towards the goal of abolishing slavery for decades, but the southern states refuse to relinquish their slave-holding rights. The disagreement couldn't be resolved through negotiation and compromise, so now we find ourselves at war; North against South, American against American. We all hope and pray for a swift end to the fighting, but I fear many more lives will be lost before this conflict is over.'

Vika's expression darkened as she digested the information.

'Before we sailed here, my family lived in a poor farming community in Russia. The city-folk called us peasants - _serfs_ \- but we were slaves in everything but name... I _never_ want to live like that again, or stand by and watch while others suffer a similar fate.'

Everyone at the table fell silent, save for a soft intake of breath from Rose. Dimitri had told her plenty of stories about his life back in Baia, but he'd never let on how bad things really were for him and his family. He had borne so much hardship over the years and yet it hadn't defeated him - somehow it had made him stronger... and gentler.

Rose would have liked to linger on thoughts of her husband, but her attention was pulled away in two separate directions; first to a familiar figure hovering near the bar, and then by a demanding tug at her elbow.

'I've decided what I'm going to do,' Viktoria announced, fixing her gaze on her sister-in-law. 'If you won't let me come with you to find Dimka, then I will make myself useful elsewhere. How far is it to the nearest military outpost, Mr Barnes?,' she turned on the unsuspecting gentleman with an expectant stare. 'And tell me, can girls join the Union Army, or will I need to cut my hair short and dress as a man?'

'You will do no such thing!' Deputy Belikov refused point-blank, hearing the echo of Alberta's voice in her own words. 'I forbid it.'

The Russian's dark eyes flashed with disdain.

'And who's going to stop me when you're gone?' she challenged.

'Him.'

Rose nodded to a tall man on the far side of the room who was currently making a visual sweep of the patrons at each table.

'Hey, sheriff!' she called out above the clamour of the other diners. 'You lost something?'

* * *

'I'm so sorry, Rose,' Eddie Castile removed his hat, his fingers worrying at the brim out of embarrassment. 'Miss Belikova was safe in her room when I left the ranch this morning. I know you warned me the girl could be headstrong but I didn't think she would try anything so reckless on the first day.'

'I'm right here!' Vika glared at him.

Rose _sush_ ed her.

'It's good you came, Sheriff Castile,' the deputy stood to greet him properly. 'There's a mission I'd like you to take care of in the morning if you're willing.'

'Of course. Anything,' Eddie was eager to make amends for losing Viktoria, after Rose had expressly asked him to keep an eye on her.

'It's not a glamorous job, I'm afraid,' she warned him, 'and you're liable to hate me for asking it of you.'

The man remained unperturbed.

'Just tell me what you need me to do and I'll do it.'

'I want you to take my delinquent sister-in-law back to Saint's Town...'

Viktoria jumped to her feet and let out a string of heated objections, while Eddie eyed her with growing alarm.

'...as your deputy.'

'I beg your pardon?' the sheriff wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly.

Vika's moaning stopped abruptly.

'Wait... what?'

When Rose turned to address the Russian girl her voice was kind but firm.

'I know you want to do something to help, Vika. Well, this is how you can help. Stay at home. Protect your family - our family - and help Eddie take care of Saint's Town. It's my home. It's going to be yours too - so if you feel you have to fight for something, fight for that.'

'You'd really trust me to do this?' Viktoria searched the deputy's face for signs of deceit, worried this might be an elaborate hoax to make her return home without a fuss.

'Yes,' Rose said simply. 'You've already proven you have what it takes. You're resourceful and stubborn. You aren't afraid of riding long distances and I bet you could talk a person into doing just about anything you wanted them to do, which will definitely come in handy on the job. I trust you can shoot?'

'It can't be that hard,' Vika shrugged. 'But I'm great with a knife. Do you want me to show you?' she shifted excitedly, preparing to rush out into the freezing night and give a full demonstration of her skills.

Rose lifted an eyebrow.

'I'll take your word for it. Sheriff Castile can supply you with whatever weapons he deems fit when you get back to the office, and oversee your training in any areas that might be lacking.'

Vika's mouth opened then closed, widened into a grin, then opened again before settling into a stern line.

'Thank you for asking me to do this, Roza, but what should I tell Mama? She'll think I'm lying if I just waltz up to dinner tomorrow night and say I'm the new deputy of Saint's Town.'

Deputy Belikov's fingers flitted upwards; unfastening the six-pointed star from her collar then pinning her deputy sheriff's badge carefully to Victoria's dress.

'Show her this,' she advised. 'And pass on a message from me. There should always be a Deputy Belikov in Saint's Town - first it was Dimitri, and then he passed the job to me. We Belikovs might be away for a while, but until we return, a Deputy _Belikova_ will have to do.'

Rose was nearly knocked over as the new Deputy Belikova slung her arms around her sister's waist and squeezed tightly.

'I won't let you down, Roza... you or Dimka. I promise!'

'We know,' the older girl whispered, holding the embrace a little longer before she prised the clinging limpet away from her. 'Now go and introduce yourself to the sheriff, and remember - you might be the bossy one but _he's_ still in charge.'

* * *

An hour later, Rose and Vika retired to the hotel room they would be sharing for the evening. Deputy Belikova swore she felt so jittery she wouldn't be able to sleep a wink, but she was already tucked under the covers and snoring lightly when Rose heard a sound outside in the hall. Slipping into her dressing gown, she padded to the doorway and peeked out to see Sydney Sage struggling into the adjacent room; overladen with her medical bag, a large rectangular package and a tall hat box.

Closing the door softly behind her, Rose hastened to assist Miss Sage with her burdens.

'How on earth did you get a dress made up so fast?' she asked in disbelief, setting the larger box down on the bed and shifting the lid aside to reveal a beautifully tailored riding habit - the Prussian blue fabric and shiny row of buttons reminiscent of a Union soldier's uniform. 'It's exquisite. They must have had a whole team of dressmakers pinning and sewing to have this finished in just a few hours.'

Sydney swooped down to replace the lid on the box and pushed it to the far end of the bed, her lips tight at the corners and the crease between her eyebrows deepening by the second.

'What's wrong?' Rose felt confused. 'Don't you like it?'

There was a uncomfortable pause as Sydney cast a wary eye over the intruder in her room, unsure whether or not it was safe to confide in her. Finally deciding to take the risk, she produced a small, neatly-folded piece of paper and handed it over for Rose to peruse.

It was a telegram - made out to the dressmaker in Argenta and marked as received at nine o'clock that morning. The body of the message appeared to be a bulk order for women's clothing, which included; one riding habit, one day dress, two winter coats, night clothes, a hat and a selection of intimate apparel. There was no indication as to who had placed the order, only that the items were to be collected by a Miss Sydney Sage, and full payment had already been arranged.

Rose read through the order, shaking her head in astonishment. There was only one person she knew that was capable of such frivolous generosity. Mr Ivara had really outdone himself this time.

'Well, somebody's looking out for you, Miss Sage,' she responded aloud. 'You must have a guardian angel.'

'He's no angel, I assure you,' Sydney spoke for the first time, unable to conceal the note of emotion that was creeping into her usually-measured voice . 'I can't believe the audacity of him. And he knows my measurements too?! It's unconscionable... Unacceptable!'

'Who?' Rose feigned ignorance.

'Adrian Ivara, of course,' the lady huffed. 'We're nearly a hundred miles from Saint's Town and he _still_ won't leave me be!'

Deputy Belikov's eyes dropped back to the slip of paper in her hands, her mind boggling as she estimated how much Adrian's purchases must have cost.

'And I thought it was over the top when he gave me a bottle of perfume!' she said under her breath.

'Mr Ivara bought you perfume?' Sydney wasn't the screeching type, but her voice came out a half-octave higher than usual and her hands stiffened to claws by her sides. 'And what did your husband think of that, Mrs Belikov?'

Rose had conveniently failed to mention Adrian's gift to her husband. The bottle had lain hidden and unused in her delicates drawer for months, until she presented it to Alberta as a farewell gift the day she and Dimitri left for their new life in Silver Springs.

'Well, I happened to be unmarried at the time,' she justified herself, 'but I assure you there was nothing improper about the gift. It was a gesture of friendship, not romance.' (Actually, Adrian had been besotted with Rose at the time, but Sydney didn't need to know that.) 'He gave Lisa a present that day too - to welcome us both home after Dimitri brought us back to Saint's Town. I don't think I've ever met a more generous man.' (That part, at least, was true.)

Sydney's brow smoothed a little, though she was clearly still out of sorts.

'Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised,' she muttered, turning back the coverlet on her bed. 'I've no doubt Mr Ivara has given a lot of gifts to a lot of women over the years.'

'Not so many women as you might think' the deputy responded carefully, noting that Sydney paused from her housekeeping to listen. 'You might have heard... _talk_ about Adrian's past, but he has always behaved like a complete gentleman around me.' (That might have been pushing the facts a bit, but judging by the blonde woman's severe expression, Adrian needed all the help he could get.)

 _'Ha_!' Miss Sage reached for her pillow to fluff it up; shaking it vigorously then, still unsatisfied, giving it one brutal thump against the mattress that sent an explosion of dust up into the room.

Rose sighed internally. Getting Sydney Sage to engage in a cordial and unguarded conversation was like trying to squeeze blood from a stone. Not defeated yet, she decided to try a more direct approach.

'What exactly is your issue with Mr Ivara, Sydney?'

Bad idea.

'Who said I had an issue with Mr Ivara?' came the hissed reply. 'And if I did, why would I talk to you about it? We're not friends, Deputy Belikov. We've only just met.'

It was true. They weren't friends - only acquaintances, forced together by a shared tragedy. But for some reason, fate had decided that their paths should cross and Rose was determined to make the best of it.

'Okay... but maybe one day we _will_ be friends and then you can tell me what happened,' she offered an olive branch.

Sydney didn't respond - her eyes focused on the pillow in her hands like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

Rose waited half a minute longer then decided it was time to make her exit.

'Sleep well, Miss Sage. I'll see you downstairs at dawn.'

She already had one foot out the door when Sydney finally spoke up.

'Deputy Belikov?'

'Yes?' Rose turned at her name.

'Do you think...,' the blonde woman glanced away uncomfortably before forcing herself to meet Rose's eye. 'Would you mind coming to the dressmaker's shop with me in the morning? There are several packages still to collect and I'd rather not have Mr O'Hara or the others asking... unwanted questions.'

Progress at last! Rose sent up a silent prayer of thanks.

'Of course I'll help,' she answered warmly. 'It will be our secret.'

The two women shared a tentative smile, then the deputy slipped soundlessly from the room and into her own waiting bed.

* * *

The ladies were awake and dressed at dawn but, due to various delays, it was closer to nine o'clock by the time everyone was ready to depart.

'Are you sure about this, Rose?' Eddie snatched a glance at his new deputy, who was currently regaling Sarcone and Barnes with a thrilling story about the time she'd single-handledly caught and killed a wolf - most of which was probably exaggerated.

'Absolutely sure,' she replied, a sly expression coming over her face. 'Vika won't be able to get up to too much trouble now she's got the sheriff of Saint's Town watching over her every move. Just give her plenty of jobs to keep her busy and I'm sure you'll get along fine.'

Sheriff Castile didn't look entirely convinced but he resigned himself to his fate.

'Good luck deputy,' he shook her hand in farewell.

'Good luck yourself!' she retorted, then approached Viktoria to say goodbye.

'Be good to Eddie,' Rose counselled, when they were out of earshot of the others. 'He might be softly-spoken but don't underestimate him. He's strong and he's fast. I've seen him rope and tackle calves for branding for a whole morning without raising a sweat, and he's a damn fine shot with a pistol too... so _don't_ give him a reason to practice his skills on you!'

'I'd never!' Vika looked offended.

Rose lifted an eyebrow but a smile was lurking behind her eyes.

'Just stay safe, yes?' she wrapped the younger girl in a hug.

'I will,' Victoria promised, her face smushed into Rose's shoulder. 'And you stay safe too... And find Dimka... And you'd better come back to us soon or... or I'll get Yeva to put a curse on you!'

Rose tensed, recalling the old woman's parting words. _I don't see why you are wasting your time on this journey. You will be too late to save him. Don't say I didn't warn you..._ An anxious feeling squirmed in the deputy's stomach but she refused to let it take hold. It didn't really matter what the old crone said. They were only words. The only one who truly knew the future was God in heaven, and unless Rose was very much mistaken, God did not wear a Russian headscarf.

'Yeva doesn't scare me,' she declared, pushing the unsettling words from her mind and focusing her whole attention on the vibrant, spirited face before her. 'What scares me is what is going to become of all the young men in Saint's Town when they meet their new deputy for the first time. I fear some hearts will be broken... and maybe some noses as well.'

Vika beamed - clearly approving of both possibilities - then gave Rose on hasty peck on the cheek and bounced off to her horse.

'Well, ladies and gentlemen,' Deputy Belikov announced to her party when Eddie and Vika had ridden out of sight. 'No more lallygagging. It's time to ride.'

* * *

They made good progress over the course of the morning, and Rose was beginning to hope they might even pick up Dimitri's trail sometime later that day, but it wasn't to be.

The group stopped at every settlement they came to and spoke with every traveller they passed on the road, but nobody had heard news of confederate rebels passing through the area recently - with or without a prisoner in tow. When Christian suggested that they bunk down for the night at a small township after covering only forty-two miles, Rose was too exhausted to protest and fell into bed with a muted groan. 'Tomorrow, cowboy,' she murmured into the pillow. 'I've got a good feeling about tomorrow.'

The second day was much the same, only being a Sunday there were fewer people on the road to question about Sheriff Belikov. With limited interruptions to their ride, they managed to cover fifty miles before seeking out a waystation to stop for the night. The accommodation was less than desirable - Rose and Sydney were obliged to share a squalid room, bunking together on a mattress that smelt faintly of vomit and stale sweat - but at least they were warm, and protected from the miserable winter conditions outdoors.

On the third day the rain set in. It started out as a light drizzle - an inconvenience they had expected and prepared for - but by lunchtime the trail south had turned to a rivulet of slick mud, and they were having to travel so slowly for the safety of the horses that it was no longer viable to continue. Spying what looked to be a large outbuilding set back from the road, the travellers abandoned their journey and made for shelter.

It was a cattle shed - or used to be. There wasn't much left of the main barn; the roof had caved in at one end, and water was sheeting down the buckled eaves to form wide pools on the ground that crept steadily upwards and outwards the longer the deluge lasted. Fortunately, the plank lean-to on the eastern facing of the barn was in fairer condition, and spacious enough to house the whole group comfortably.

'I'll get a fire started,' Mr O'Hara was the first off his horse, fishing a box of matches from his coat pocket as he scoped out the available space.

It didn't take him long to settle on a spot that was near to the entrance - sheltered from the wind and rain, but not in danger of sending the whole building up in flames.

'Sarcone, Barnes. Can you salvage some dry wood from the barn? Rose, see to the horses, and Miss Sage, you're in charge of food and coffee.'

They each went to their tasks immediately, too cold to waste energy on talking.

If they were back at home, Rose would have been annoyed at Christian for ordering everyone about, but out here she admired his decisive attitude. Over the past few days, Mr O'Hara had emerged as the unofficial leader of the group. As the oldest, Raphael Sarcone imagined himself in charge, but this was his first serious venture south of the California Trail and his lack of local knowledge was telling. Dean Barnes was physically capable of any task but suffered from the malady of laziness. Rose was a born leader, but in her eagerness to find Dimitri she was prone to making hasty decisions and dissolved into a temper at the slightest provocation. Sydney Sage was a diligent worker and had the keenest mind of them all, but she wasn't a team player. Somehow, Christian O'Hara managed to wrangle the bunch of misfits together; keeping them focused on meeting their daily travel goals and diffusing arguments whenever the need arose.

'There's plenty more in there if we need it,' Barnes returned with an armful of wood, dumping it on the ground then seating himself on an upturned crate so he could watch Christian build the fire (offering frequent suggestions on how it should be done, but not actually assisting in any practical way).

Raphael followed soon after with another pile of kindling, and within fifteen minutes the campfire had drawn all five of them into its welcoming circle; the travellers thawing their frozen hands and faces as they waited for the coffee to boil. Coffee was followed by a bland but filling lunch, and they passed the time with short bursts of conversation - whenever the rain eased enough for them to hear themselves speak.

'So do we camp here tonight, or wait for a break in the rain and continue on?' Mr Sarcone broached the subject. 'I vote for camping here. We're settled now, and I doubt we'd come across a better shelter than this before sundown.'

'But we've barely made it twenty miles!' Rose argued.

'I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr Sarcone in this instance,' Sydney added her opinion to the mix. 'Mr O'Hara has sneezed eleven times since we set out this morning...'

Christian's eyebrows shot up.

'You're counting my sneezes?'

Miss Sage ignored him.

'You might fancy yourself to have the constitution of a bull but none of us can afford to take sick out here. I've only got limited medical supplies in my bag, and if you end up needing more specialised treatment than I can provide it's over a hundred miles back to Argenta or four hundred miles on to Las Vegas. I say we stay here; dry our clothing, get warm, rest. We all need it.'

'I probably could do with a few hours to rest up,' Christian admitted, hunching deeper into his collar. 'If we stay here this afternoon and give the horses a proper break then we'll all have the energy to cover more ground tomorrow.'

'Hear, hear!' Mr Barnes declared, showing his approval of the plan by reaching for his flask and taking a long, warming swig of whiskey.

The others were right, of course - it would be unwise to continue on in this weather - but that didn't mean Rose was going to agree with them right away. It wasn't until after they'd finished their meal that Deputy Belikov finally caved to the popular vote.

'I suppose we should get changed so we can hang our riding gear out to dry,' she got up stiffly and went off in search of fresh clothing and a private place to undress.

* * *

It was two in the afternoon.

Christian was sprawled out by the fireside; relaxed and heavy-lidded. The week-old newspaper he'd been reading was discarded beside him and his gaze was now lost in the dancing flames; thoughts of his wife and unborn child never far from his mind.

Sydney Sage sat on the opposite side of the campfire, skimming over the pages of a medical book she'd 'borrowed' from her father's collection to fill the time between her nursing duties. The army doctor would be absolutely livid when he discovered it was missing (in the same way he would have been livid when he found out that Sydney had disappeared - not because he cared for her wellbeing, but because she was valuable to him and he hated losing control of his possessions).

Sarcone and Barnes were nowhere in sight, having taken themselves off on a scavenging mission through the main body of the barn - an occasional thump or exclamation alerting the others when an item of interest had been found - while Rose paced slow circles around the fire, brooding.

Instead of easing off, the rain was now pounding down relentlessly, and the deputy was caught unaware when a sharp cracking sound cut through the watery din.

She froze mid-stride, hearing back the echo of the sound in her head. A gunshot? A gunshot!

'Get down!' she hissed frantically, pushing Sydney to the dirt as she launched for the Cooper pocket revolver that she'd left on her bedding by the fire.

Christian took a moment longer than Rose to react, blinking into life and snatching for his own gun so hastily he nearly dropped it.

'I can help!' he looked to Rose urgently, but she waved him back.

'Stay here,' she ordered. 'Guard Miss Sage and the horses. I'll...'

Another shot. It hit something this time.

Rose didn't waste any more time on words. Hearing an anguished cry from Raphael Sarcone in the adjoining building, she crossed the room in three seconds flat and edged her way along the internal wall - gun extended - until she reached the open doorway to the barn, snatching a look inside.

A third gunshot rang out, followed by a resounding crash, and Deputy Belikov spared one last, tight-lipped look back at her companions before she disappeared into the darkness.

Mr O'Hara waited tensely, straining to hear over the battering rain. He hated not knowing what was happening in the barn, but the deputy had told him to wait and when it came to fighting she was his superior in every way. Still, he knew he would never be able to forgive himself if any harm came to the woman he had once considered a foe.

All of a sudden, the sound of muffled shouting broke out, then everything went quiet. Too quiet.

Horrified, Christian lurched towards the barn door after Rose, and Sydney was madly scrabbling through her satchel for medical supplies when a thundercloud on legs came storming back through the doorway.

'You know what your chucklehead colleagues were doing?!' Rose screeched at Mr O'Hara, giving him no time to answer. 'Taking pot-shots at a sheet of corrugated iron hanging from the roof! They wanted to see who could bring it down first and Sarcone lost. Idiots! I thought we were under attack. I nearly shot Barnes in the face.'

There was a shocked silence as Christian and Sydney absorbed the unexpected news, then the dark-haired gentleman set his pistol back in its holster and loped across the room.

'That actually sounds like a good way to let off steam,' he walked past the deputy casually, not wanting to let on how much of a fright she'd just given him. 'I think I'll go and join them.' And he did.

Rose dropped her face into her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose. She could definitely feel a headache coming on. Stalking over to her bed by the campfire, she sat heavily; taking no pleasure in the warmth of the fire or the comfort of the blanket beneath her.

'Here. For the nerves,' Sydney materialised by the deputy's elbow, holding out a small bottle of brandy she'd procured from her satchel.

Surprised by the considerate gesture, Rose accepted the drink and took a liberal gulp.

'Thanks. I needed that,' she handed the bottle back to its owner.

When her medical bag was repacked and stowed away, Miss Sage had planned to return to her copy of Inman's _Foundation for a New Theory and Practice of Medicine_ , but she had a last-minute change of mind and approached the woman by fire instead. The false alarm had rattled her more than she was willing to admit, and while she usually avoided the company of others, right now she didn't want to be alone.

'I can't believe those half-wits decided to fire off their pistols without giving us any warning,' Sydney announced, lowering herself carefully to sit beside Rose. 'What if you'd shot one of them? I swear, you give a man a gun and he turns into a swaggering, trigger-happy fool,' she wrinkled her nose with disdain.

'Not all men behave like that,' Deputy Belikov corrected sharply.

Dimitri never swaggered. And he was no fool either.

Miss Sage realised her faux pas almost at once.

'Sorry. I meant no offence. It's just... I'm a nurse. I've seen what guns can do to people and I don't much approve of them.'

Rose glanced across at her companion, nodding once in understanding.

'I've seen what guns can do to people too... I've done those things myself a few times,' she added more quietly, 'but as my husband often reminds me - you only harm a man if he won't listen to reason, you only kill him if it means saving others, and you _never_ take an innocent life.'

It wasn't a philosophy Sydney agreed with entirely, but when she nodded to Rose in return a small patch of common ground opened up between the nurse and the deputy that wasn't there before, and the silence that fell between them was not an uncomfortable one.

'The sheriff...,' Sydney spoke up after a time, timid but curious. 'What is he like?'

'Everything a man should be,' the deputy replied softly, her eyes fixed on a microcosmic drama playing out in the heart of the fire; licks of flame furling around one of the smaller logs and eating away at it until it was no more than a warped and blackened shell.

'I've never met a man like that before,' the blonde woman confessed to the flames.

Rose looked up from the glowing embers and studied Sydney's troubled expression.

'You will,' she assured her. 'Or maybe you already have, and you just can't see it yet.'

If Miss Sage reacted, the deputy didn't notice because their conversation was interrupted by another person entering the room.

'Deputy Belikov?' Mr O'Hara's voice had an edge to it. 'There's something you should see.'

Rose was on her feet at once, and the two women followed Christian into the murky expanse of the cattle shed; picking their way over uneven flooring, strips of shredded canvas, and rotting planks of wood to stand with Sarcone and Barnes near the collapsed end of the barn.

'Look,' Mr Sarcone pointed to the ground at their feet.

The dirt had been disturbed by the boot-prints of three men, maybe more; the marks ending a few feet away where rain had turned the ground to mud. Rose squatted down to examine them and her heartbeat surged wildly as she reached out to touch the nearest impression. It was bigger than the others, and something about the shape of the toe and the width of the heel seemed very familiar. Could Dimitri have stayed here? Deputy Belikov's mind churned over feverishly. If this boot-print really belonged to Dimitri, then it meant her husband was still alive. And he'd been _here_ \- in this building - maybe yesterday, maybe even as late as this morning.

'Rose?'

Christian was saying something about numbers and distances but the deputy pushed past him, eerily calm, and moved off towards the campfire without a backwards glance. Rolling up her bedding deftly, she was preparing to tie it to her horse when Mr O'Hara decided it was time to intervene.

'Rose. What are you doing?'

'I'm going after Dimitri,' she shrugged his hand off her shoulder so she could resume her task.

'Rose!' Christian insisted, pulling her away from the horse.

'What?!' she glared at him for the delay.

'You _can_ go after Dimitri, but not right now,' Mr O'Hara stated the facts plainly. 'We agreed to wait until tomorrow, remember? I realise you want to rush out there and find your husband, but we don't even know for certain that those prints belong to him... and in any case, it's too dangerous to ride in this weather. I wouldn't ask it of the others, and I'm sure as hell not letting you go out there alone.'

She wasn't listening.

'Be reasonable, Rose. You're no good to Dimitri lost or starved, or if you get thrown by your horse and killed.'

Still no reaction.

'Look,' Christian's frustration was beginning to show. 'If you won't be sensible for yourself, then think of _me_. If something happens to you on my watch, my wife will literally kill me.'

The thought of Lisa - waiting and worried back at home - was the jolt she needed. Closing her eyes tightly, the deputy took several uneven breaths before trusting herself to respond.

'Well you'd better hope it's not raining tomorrow, Mr O'Hara, because I'll be leaving in the morning - with or without you.'

Christian O'Hara wasn't known for his tact, but he nodded obediently and stepped aside.

Rosemarie Belikov wasn't known for her self-control, but she took one last glance at her horse then returned to the fireside and spread out her blanket.

'Mr Sarcone,' she called to the man who had been eavesdropping at the door. 'I believe you were going to make a pot of coffee?'

* * *

Two hundred miles away, Lisa O'Hara sat down at the small writing desk in her bedroom. An ache of loneliness tugged at her chest as she turned her thoughts to her absent friend, and she set her pen to paper - writing the words she wished she could have shared in person.

 _Monday November_ _11th_ _, 1861_

 _Dear Rose,_

 _I miss you so much already and it's only been three days. I wonder where you are right now; how far you've travelled; if you've caught up with the men who took Dimitri yet._

 _Olena was beside herself when we discovered that Viktoria was missing, but Yeva assured her there was nothing worry about. When Vika turned up at the ranch on Saturday night wearing your deputy's badge Olena had fifty fits. She said her daughter was too young to take on such a responsibility, in a foreign country to boot. Viktoria wasted no time reminding everyone that she is nearly the same age as you and you're a deputy - and that Sheriff Castile would be doing all of the hard work anyway. Olena still wouldn't hear of it, but Yeva made a some pronouncement in Russian and the matter was settled. I actually think Vika will make a good deputy, but I feel sorry for Eddie. From what I can tell, Vika is going to give him as much trouble as you gave Dimitri._

Lisa smiled softly as she dipped the nib of her pen in the inkpot.

 _You know something, Rose? That first day that Dimitri captured us he was so stiff and formal with me, but_ _whenever he looked at you he sort of... softened a bit. I think he was in love with you even back then._ _You'd probably say I'm being romantic, but I think you two were made for one-another. You are both such strong people, but neither of you is whole without the other. I know I said some horrible things before you left but I take them all back. You_ _can_ _save him, Rose. I believe you can do it. I pray to God that you will be able to find Dimitri and return to us as soon as you can. I need my best friend as much as she needs her husband._

 _Love eternally,_

 _Lisa_

* * *

 _._

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 ** _Thank you so much for all the encouraging reviews/PM's (and a super special shout-out to_** ** _katnipsc_** ** _for reading & reviewing every chapter in the DB saga in two days!). All that positive energy has given me a real boost, and I've been pre-writing scenes for multiple chapters... There are some crazy chapters & new characters coming up but, as much as I'm dying to spill the beans, I'll be good & not spoil the surprise ;)_**

 ** _New characters - Raphael Sarcone = Ralph/Ray Sarcozy. Dean Barnes had a brief mention in VA - he was a novice in Rose's class assigned to Jesse in the mock guarding assessment. He was pretty dismal._**

 ** _Sydney - In most of the fanfics I've read, Sydney & Rose are great buddies from the start. I've made my Sydney more stand-offish & awkward - like she was with Rose at the beginning of Blood Promise._**

 ** _Civil War Disclaimer - I am Australian. What I know of the Civil War I learnt from the internet, so apologies to any diehard American History-buffs out there for my over-simplistic way of explaining the situation to Vika. Obviously, there was a lot more going on in the lead up to the southern states breaking away from the U.S. (fears of changes to cultural/societal norms, agricultural vs. mechanised approach to industry, anger over nationally imposed tariffs on exports etc.) but slavery is the topic that has most relevance to my story so that's as far as I'm going to go into it. (That said, the CW timelines/battles referenced in the story are based on actual events - minus the VA characters, of course!)_**

 ** _Lallygagging - I so wanted to include a Skyrim reference, and then I found this historically-accurate gem XD_**

 ** _Lisa's letters - these will pop up once every few chapters to let you know what's been going on back at the ranch. (Makes you grateful for text messaging & email, hey?!)_**

 ** _Hope you have a good couple of weeks :)_**


	6. An Unexpected Friend

**_This chapter is proudly brought to you by Tampax._**

* * *

 **6\. An Unexpected Friend**

It was Thursday. Three days since they'd discovered fresh boot prints in the abandoned barn, and a full week since the attack that left Carly Sage despoiled and Dimitri Belikov stolen from his wife and home.

Thanks to a slight lift in the weather, the travellers had managed to cover another hundred miles along the southern trail, but their progress meant little to Rose. They'd found no further sign that Dimitri had passed this way, and even though she refused to admit it aloud, Rose was beginning to fear she might never see her husband again.

'I'll get more water,' she announced flatly as soon as the evening meal was done, taking the empty stew-pot from beside the fire and making for a chattering mountain stream that passed behind their camp - swollen to the width of a small river thanks to the recent rainfall.

Mr O'Hara watched after her with a frown. The deputy was growing quieter with every passing day - that oppressive, prickling kind of quiet you might sense just before a storm - and Christian knew it was only a matter of time before she exploded. Or imploded. He wasn't sure which option would be worse.

'Stinking Rebs!' As soon as Rose was out of sight of the camp she threw the tin-pot to ground and kicked it into the stony shallows of the stream - cursing the men who had taken her husband.

Anger was easier to express than grief, and she expressed it freely; skirts hitched up to her knees; water arcing through the air with every sweep of her foot; the pot making a satisfying _sploosh-clink_ sound every time it skidded to a new resting place.

'You're behaving like a child.'

She stopped, panting. Dimitri's voice spoke so clearly in her mind he could have been standing just beyond that nearest tree.

'That's why you love me,' she retorted aloud.

'Yes, I love you, Roza,' he replied. His eyes would have been smiling, even if he was scolding her. 'Don't ever forget that.'

'I'd never!' She was shocked he would even suggest it.

'I know.' There was a warm sensation on the top of her head - just where he would have rested his chin. 'And remember, Roza, I might not be here with you but you're not alone. You don't have to do this alone.'

She turned, almost expecting to see him behind her, but all she saw was the distant glow of the campfire with two tents silhouetted beside it. Faint strains of music and the occasional burst of laughter carried towards her on the breeze, and Rose conceded that her husband was probably right. Sulking in the dark wasn't going to help her find Dimitri any faster, but a night of warmth, rest and good company might be just the thing to lift her spirits - and give her the courage to start her search again in the morning. Hastening to retrieve the abandoned cooking pot, she filled it to the brim with fresh water and returned to the ragtag band who awaited her by the fireside.

For the sake of convenience and propriety, Mr O'Hara and his colleagues occupied the larger of the two tents, while the women's smaller one (supplied by Adrian and Eddie) was pitched opposite. Returning to her place beside Sydney Sage, Rose rugged up in a cocoon of blankets and let herself be drawn into the relaxed, cheerful mood around the fire.

Mr Sarcone was seated on a folding chair, one leg slung over the other as he strummed a lively rhythm on his guitar. A few feet away from him, a partially inebriated Mr Barnes bellowed out the words to a familiar tune - his voice raised loud and brash - changing each refrain of 'Sweet Betsy' to 'Sweet Sydney' in a bid to steal the lady's focus away from the book she was reading.

At some point over the past few days, Dean Barnes had finally made the connection that Sydney was a Miss and not a Mrs, and, having nobody waiting for him back at home, his favourite pastime was trying to commandeer the pretty young nurse's attention in any way possible. His current attempt was failing miserably but he continued on unperturbed, belting out the dubious adventures of Sweet Sydney and her lover Ike with great gusto;

 _Long Ike and Sweet Sydney got married of course,  
But Ike getting jealous obtained a divorce;  
And Sydney, well satisfied, said with a shout,  
"Good-bye, you big lummax, I'm glad you backed out."_

Sarcone joined in with a rousing harmony at the end of each verse, and Christian observed their antics with quiet amusement - the pipe dangling from his lips generating more smoke than the campfire.

'Would you like me to be your _Long Ike_ , Sweet Sydney?' Mr Barnes called out suggestively when the song was done. 'My mother didn't christen me Ike, but I assure you I am _very_ long!'

He looked to the men either side of him for congratulations at his rapier wit; winning himself an encouraging smirk from Mr Sarcone and a jaded shake of the head from Mr O'Hara.

Sweet Sydney lowered her book and fixed Mr Barnes with a beady stare, acknowledging him for the first time that evening.

'No thank you, you big lummax.'

Barnes stalled, surprised and aggrieved by the rebuff, but nobody paid him any mind - their attention diverted by a rare and unexpected sound.

After a week of eerie, troubled silence, Deputy Belikov was laughing. Side-splitting, cheek-streaming laughter. She wasn't even sure what she was laughing at, but it felt so, so good.

'What?' Mr Barnes asked, offended.

'Nothing, you big lummax!' she choked, then caught a smile twitching at the corner of Sydney's lips and burst into another irrepressible fit of mirth, giving up on all possibility of conversation and retreating her head under the blankets until the paroxysm had subsided.

* * *

By the time Rose re-emerged, Barnes had wandered off into the darkness to relieve himself, Sarcone was humming a haunting ballad as his fingers slid thoughtfully over the guitar's strings, Christian had nodded off in his chair, the pipe still hanging precariously from the edge of his mouth, and Sydney was in the same position as before, nose buried in her book.

Getting up to stretch her legs, the deputy returned to her tent a short while later balancing a hot cup of coffee in each hand.

'You know, that song got me thinking...,' she handed one of the drinks to Sydney and resumed her seat, wrapping her fingers around her own cup for warmth. 'I'm not saying that you _do_ have a Long Ike in your life at the moment, but _if_ you do have one... and if it's who I think it is, I wonder how he's going right now?'

They hadn't spoken of Adrian since the barn, but Rose had noted her companion's unusual mood swings over the past few days and wondered if Mr Ivara might be the cause of the trouble.

The nurse eyed Rose suspiciously over the rim of her coffee cup then lowered it to her lap, keeping her gaze averted in its depths.

'I wouldn't rightly know,' she answered quietly. 'Probably halfway through a bottle of spirits by now.'

A frown flitted over Deputy Belikov's face. Adrian had been a heavy drinker, smoker, gambler and philanderer when she'd first met him, but from all accounts - and what she'd witnessed with her own eyes - he was a reformed man. On the other hand, he did still own the largest drinking and gambling establishment from Sacramento to Salt Lake City, so it would be difficult to convince Sydney that Mr Ivara was the embodiment of innocence. She decided to take a different tack.

'He spoke to me before we left Cottonwood Ranch,' Rose divulged. 'About you.'

Anger pinched at Sydney's lips and cheekbones.

'He didn't!'

'Well, he _did_... and maybe you should hear what he had to say,' the deputy pressed on quickly. 'Mr Ivara said that he tried to convince you not to join me on this journey - _not_ because he thought it was his place to tell you what to do, but because he was afraid for your safety.'

Rose knew from the other woman's expression that she was treading on thin ice.

'He begged me to keep you safe so he could prove himself to you when we return. I believe his exact words were _I need her to know I'm not a total pig_ , and something about being willing to do anything to deserve your love.'

Sydney's mouth quivered, though it may have been out of anger not sentimentality.

'I'm still not sure why you're avoiding Adrian, but from what I can tell he's hopelessly in love with you. Maybe when all of this is over you can... give the matter some more thought. Just... have a conversation with him? Give him a chance to show you his intentions are serious?'

The blonde woman's chest heaved once or twice then she leaned in closer to Rose.

'I don't think I'll be taking any advice about Adrian Ivara from _you_ , Mrs Belikov, considering the two of you already have a history together.'

A sound in the darkness alerted them that Dean Barnes was returning, and Sydney lowered her voice to a coarse whisper.

'Don't misunderstand me, deputy. I realise that you are worried for your husband and you're clutching at any opportunity to keep your mind busy, but will you _please_ stop interfering in my personal life. I'm here to repay my debt to Sheriff Belikov, not to be a pawn in your ridiculous match-making schemes.'

Barnes could have passed by the other side of the fire to get to his tent but he took the longer route so he could share a final word with his reluctant sweetheart.

'Are you sure you won't reconsider my offer, Sweet Sydney?' he pressed, his words slurring together ever so slightly. 'I have a property in Denver - with a pretty ranch-house just waiting for a woman's touch. Your touch-...'

'For crying out loud! Won't you both give it a rest?!' Sydney sprang up and stormed away from the fire, leaving Mr Barnes confused, Rose severely peeved, and Christian prising open his sleep-drugged eyelids to ask Sarcone what on earth he'd missed.

Half an hour later, the campfire was beginning to die down and Raphael Sarcone set down his guitar to prepare for bed.

'Mr O'Hara looks beat,' he announced to anyone who was listening. 'You want first watch, Barnes? I'll take over at midnight.'

The chances of being robbed by roadside bandits this far away from the main trails was slim, but they were moving deeper into Shoshone Indian territory and the travellers had agreed to take turns at playing lookout to ensure everyone's safety and peace of mind.

Dean Barnes shrugged in agreement but Sydney Sage had other ideas.

'No. I'll take first watch,' she amended. 'Mr Barnes has been drinking and cannot be trusted to stay alert. I have some reading to catch up on anyway, so I'll take a longer shift. Mr Sarcone, I will wake you at one.'

The plan met with everybody's approval. Goodnights were shared (Rose and Sydney's being rather a chilly one), and within minutes, four weary bodies were curled up in their tents asleep, while one remained awake and watchful with a book open on her lap; occasionally getting up to stir the fire and peer out into the darkness.

* * *

Something awoke Rose from her slumber and she glanced around warily. The moon had climbed higher in the sky. The fire was low but still alight. There were a volley of snores coming from the gentlemen's tent across the way, but something felt out of place...

Sydney! Where was Sydney? The deputy sat up in a panic, then made a conscious effort to calm her breathing when she saw a familiar figure returning from the direction of the stream; the cooking-pot heavy in her arms.

'Coffee?' Rose asked blearily, watching the other woman set the pot over the fire.

She did wonder vaguely as to why Sydney had gone to fetch more water. There had been plenty left over after she'd made their night-cap only a few hours earlier.

Miss Sage looked uncomfortable.

'No.'

The deputy yawned, her mind still heavy with sleep.

'Are you having a bath?'

It was absurd to be having a bath outdoors in the middle of a cold winter's night, but she couldn't figure out why else Sydney would need a full pot of water.

'No.'

Lord Almighty, this woman could be irritating sometimes.

'Well, what _are_ you doing, then?' Rose demanded a straightforward answer. '...What have you got there?' she frowned curiously, noticing that Sydney was holding one hand behind her back with forced casualness.

'I'm doing my washing,' Miss Sage responded at last.

An awkward silence followed.

'Washing... at midnight?'

The nurse had clearly gone off her rocker.

' _Washing,_ ' Sydney emphasised the word meaningfully.

' _Washing_?' Rose was still at a loss.

Sydney looked to the heavens and sighed.

'You know. The monthlies. _Washing_.'

The deputy's eyebrows shot upwards in understanding.

'Aahhhh. _Washing_.'

She looked away to allow Miss Sage some privacy, and once the soiled cloths had been set to soak in the warming water, Sydney came to sit with her companion by the fire.

'I was dreading this ever since I realised we might be away for longer than a few weeks. Thank goodness the dressmaker in Argenta supplied plenty of linens or we'd both be stuck tearing up petticoats to absorb the flow,' she declared softly. 'When are you due?'

'Due?'

For some reason Rose thought of the due date for Lisa's baby and wondered how her best friend was faring.

'Your menses. What date?'

The deputy winced.

'I don't really... have them. Not for over a year.'

It was Sydney's turn to look confused, but she quickly donned her professional nurse's manner.

'It is unusual but not unheard of for a woman of your age to experience early menopause...'

Rose looked horrified. She'd only heard the word spoken once before. When she had her first blood, Alberta explained to her that it would happen again every month until her child-bearing years were over, at which point she would go through 'the change' - a new state of being that came with hot flushes, night sweats and an irritable temper. Rose told her foster-mother that she must have been going through the change ever since they'd met. Alberta smacked Rose with a wooden spoon and revoked her dessert privileges for a week.

'But that isn't the only possibility,' Miss Sage assured her hurriedly. 'Poor diet can have an effect.'

Even wrapped in blankets it was obvious that Rose was not lacking in nutrition.

'...Or perhaps a reaction to stress?' the nurse suggested. 'Did something significant happen around the time that your menses ceased?'

There was a heavy silence before Deputy Belikov replied.

'The bridal six.'

Last year's incident at the chapel - when Lisa's forced wedding to Victor Dashley ended with the deaths of Natalie Dashley, Mason Ashford, Reverend Karp, and three of Mr Dashley's manservants - had been widely publicised in the papers. Some bright spark had coined the killings _the bridal six,_ which always annoyed Rose because in actual fact it should have been _the bridal seven._ Nobody seemed to remember that Madam Kiroy had also been murdered earlier that day for trying to prevent the atrocity from occurring _._

'Of course,' Sydney nodded grimly. 'I should have realised.'

'That's right. You were there, weren't you?'

Rose had been secluded in the hours after Mason's death - suffering from shock and unable to leave her bed - but Dimitri told her later how Doctor Sage and his daughter Sydney had been called to attend to the wounded.

'It was... a shocking situation,' the nurse frowned at she recalled the event. 'I'd witnessed plenty of serious injuries before, of course, but I'd never seen burns as extensive as that, or a woman stabbed so brutally...' she cut off suddenly, eyes widening with embarrassment when she remembered that it was Rose herself who had stabbed Natalie Dashley (in the defence of Mason Ashford according to Sheriff Peterson's official report). 'I'm sorry. That was insensitive.'

Rose shook her head.

'It's alright. It was a long time ago. I'm a deputy now. I've had to kill people for my job. You learn to deal with it.'

'I don't think you'd ever really forget though,' Sydney was facing Rose but looking past her into the distance, her fingers knotting in her skirts.

'Of course not,' Deputy Belikov felt the conversation was getting too close to home and decided to steer it in another direction. 'But your job's not easy either. My kind make the messes and your kind are the ones who get stuck cleaning them up. That day at the chapel for instance... What you did taking care of the survivors was admirable. Mr Ivara said his gunshot wound was so severe he might have bled to death if it weren't for you.'

Miss Sage made a very unladylike sound.

'It was barely even a flesh wound. I've never had such a ridiculous patient in my life.'

'Why? What happened?' An evil thought popped into Rose's head. 'Did he cry? You _have_ to tell me!'

Adrian had always glossed over the finer details of the story, which meant it was probably embarrassing, and therefore the deputy _very_ much wanted to know the truth of it.

'No, he didn't cry - though the behaviour he demonstrated was far more deplorable in my opinion.'

'Oh yes?' Rose invited her to continue.

The nurse hesitated a moment - not wanting to break the sacred bond of physician-patient confidentiality - then conceded to spill the beans.

'The bullet caught his vastus medalus... the inner thigh just above the knee,' she explained when the deputy looked at her blankly. 'Apparently, Mr Ivara had administered himself a full bottle of brandy to ease his pain before I arrived on the scene. When I approached his bed to clean and dress the wound he... he kept on insisting I remove his trousers so I could take a better look at the affected area.'

A smile spread slowly across Rose's face.

'And what did you tell him in return? I bet it was good!'

Miss Sage looked prim.

'I said, whatever problem he had in his pants he could keep it to himself, and then I got out my scissors and sheared off both his trouser-legs at the knee.'

The deputy's smile broadened.

'And _then_ what happened?' she asked with a cheeky gleam in her eye, but she'd already pushed her luck as far as it would go.

' _Nothing_ happened, deputy,' Sydney instantly clammed up, silently rebuking herself for having said so much. 'Now, I'm sorry to leave this scintillating conversation, but I must attend to my washing before Mr Sarcone wakes for his guard duty and figures out what I am doing. It's bad enough we have to spend every waking and sleeping moment in the presence of those... uncouth creatures,' she nodded to the men in the opposite tent, 'but I simply could not tolerate it if any of them were to learn of my present condition.'

The blonde woman was already on her feet and motioning towards the fire when Rose - feeling oddly nervous - found her voice to ask a final question.

'Um... Sydney?'

Miss Sage looked back sharply.

'Yes?'

'In your medical opinion, do you think my... _situation_ is reversible?'

The nurse smoothed a hand over her neatly-pinned hair, her expression doubtful.

'I only ask because my husband and I hope to have a family one day,' Rose dipped her eyes to her hands, '...when we're together again.'

Sydney glanced across to check that the menfolk were still sleeping soundly then stepped closer to answer, her voice unexpectedly tender.

'The female body is a wonderful and mysterious thing, Mrs Belikov, and I'm afraid there is _much_ we don't yet know about it's workings. I am unaware of any simple solution to your problem, but there are specialists in Boston and New York who deal with cases such as yours. When we get back to Saint's Town I'd be happy to ask my father to write you a letter of referral if you'd like?'

A week ago, when Rose imagined her future all she could see was a dark wall extending on and on forever. Just now, a small door opened in that wall and a crack of light shone through it.

'I'd like that,' she answered quietly, and when she looked up at the strange, stern woman before her, she was surprised to see a friend.

* * *

There was no rain that night. Instead, a continuous drizzle of sleet blew in from the snow-peaked Sierras to the west; coating the ground in a layer of watery ice and leaving patches of glistening white melting between the endless tufts of grass that sprung up along the trail. Despite the slippery conditions, the horses performed admirably and a good distance was covered before the travellers halted at midday.

The lunch-time meal was usually a hurried affair, but today they all sat talking around the small cooking-fire for nearly an hour. By this time tomorrow, the three surveyors would be splitting off from the main trail south to commence their trek into the foothills of the Sylvania Mountains, leaving Rose and Sydney to continue on southwards alone. Needless to say, the women were bombarded with more information and advice than they could possibly remember.

'You should carry a gun, Miss Sage,' Barnes counselled, taking his own from its holster and lining it up with an imaginary target. 'If an Indian comes your way, you be sure to shoot him dead - before he sees you and plants an arrow in your chest.'

The man jerked his wrist up as he pretended to pull the trigger, making a sharp cracking noise with his mouth that made Sydney jump.

'I don't think you should be worrying about that, miss,' Sarcone disagreed. 'I doubt an Indian would want to kill you. He'd sooner drag you home with him and make you his bed slave. If _I_ were you, I'd be carrying _two_ guns.'

'I will _not_ be taking, wearing or shooting a gun!' The look on Sydney's face was downright frightening. 'I'm a nurse. I'm trained to heal people, not kill people... Get that thing away from me!' she raised an arm to ward off the pistol that Dean Barnes was holding out for her to try.

Mr Barnes persisted.

'Come on. It's easy. I'll teach you how.'

'Leave it, Barnes,' Deputy Belikov cautioned him. 'The lady doesn't want a gun - and she doesn't need one. I'll be there to protect her.'

Sarcone scoffed.

'A fight between an Indian and a white woman! What are you going to do? Scratch his eyes out?'

Unlike Sydney, Rose _was_ carrying a gun, and she settled her hand on the holster, challenging Mr Sarcone to insult her one more time.

'Ooh. I'm so scared,' he mocked.

'Careful, gentlemen,' Christian warned, an irritating smirk appearing at his lips. 'The deputy here also has a nasty reputation when it comes to hair-pulling.'

He didn't tease Rose as relentlessly as he once would have, but every now and then he dropped in a jibe to rile her up a bit. At least when she was angry at him, it meant she wasn't worrying about Dimitri, and a kicking, cussing Rose was a lot more fun to be around than the serious stranger she was becoming.

'...But if you _do_ come into contact with any Indians in your travels, Miss Sage,' Mr O'Hara added more seriously, 'resorting to violence is not the only option... You could always just talk to them.'

'And how do you expect us to do that, Mr I-have-an-answer-for-everything?' Rose demanded rudely. '...What in the hell?!' she pulled away when Christian unexpectedly grabbed her hand.

'Hold still, dammit,' he strained to keep a grip on her, manipulating the position of her hand so that her index and middle fingers were pointing up to the sky, the remaining two fingers tucked beneath the thumb. 'There,' he forced her hand up to head-height, just beside her right ear.

'Get off me, Christian!' she was still struggling against him.

'Friend,' he said, like it was meant to mean something.

As soon as he let go, Rose immediately dropped her hand and shook it vigorously to rid herself of any residual man-germs, but Mr O'Hara caught her arm again and formed the shape a second time.

'Friend!' he repeated firmly. 'My father taught me Indian sign language when we first travelled west to negotiate with the Cheyenne, and it's a skill that has saved my life on more than one occasion. When we make camp tonight I can set you up with some basic vocabulary to practice together. You're an intelligent, educated woman, Miss Sage. I'm sure you can pick up at least thirty words before we part ways tomorrow. Rose... you can just aim for ten.'

His eyes lit up at her reaction.

'Why don't we begin right away?' Sydney was eager to broaden the already-vast frontiers of her knowledge. 'What do you suggest we learn first?'

Rose was not as enthusiastic. 'How about the sign for y _ou're an insufferable pig_ ,' she glared at their tutor.

Mr O'Hara rubbed his chin in thought.

'Well, I _could_ teach you that phrase, but I fear it would be too advanced for a simple, gun-toting yahoo like yourself. Perhaps we should start with something easier.'

With a cry of indignation, Deputy Belikov launched herself at the man, but Christian was taller and faster; barking with taunting laughter as he hot-footed it out of striking range.

 _Uff._

Mr O'Hara stopped abruptly, clutching the back of his head then looking at his hand in confusion. Dirty ice-crystals were sliding from his fingers and down his neck as the poorly-packed slushball melted on impact. 'Hey!' he frowned at Rose, but she was staring at Sydney Sage in shock and admiration.

'That's enough, children,' Sydney announced demurely, wiping her damp gloves on her skirt. 'We have lessons to attend to.'

* * *

 _White-man. Indian. Peace. River. Yes. Go. Horse-rider. Trade._

The girls practiced for half an hour before the decision was made to press on with the afternoon's ride. Sydney excused herself to attend to her personal needs - disappearing to the far side of the spring they had camped by to remain out of sight of prying eyes - and the others set about readying the horses so they could be on their way as soon as the nurse returned.

'Miss Sage has been gone for a while,' Dean Barnes observed, when they were all ready to leave. 'Do you think I should go and check on her?'

He hoped to have a moment with the lady alone - to apologise for his drunken behaviour the night before, and to renew his offer of a union - be it marriage or simply one glorious night to remember.

'No. I'll go,' Rose said firmly, handing her reins to Christian and heading off briskly to retrieve the missing nurse.

A set of footprints along the spring's muddy bank made it easy for Rose see which way Miss Sage had gone, and when she rounded a fir tree by the water's edge, her eyes fell on the familiar blue puff of Sydney's skirts and the soft gleam of ash-blonde hair bowed low to the ground.

What on earth is she doing? Rose stopped and squinted. Sydney was crouched by the water to rinse her linens, but her posture was unnaturally still; her head turned to the side, staring at something out beyond the deputy's line of sight.

'Rose?'

The plaintive, desperate note in Sydney's voice made Deputy Belikov's stomach roll over, and a flash of tawny-gold springing from behind a cluster of rocks had her heart hammering against her ribs.

It was the biggest cat Rose had ever seen. A lone male - bold and hungry. Muscular shoulders and hips propelled the mountain lion forwards with powerful, loping strides; each sinuous movement bringing it one step closer to its prey.

'Sydney!' Rose shrieked, snatching her pistol from its holster.

Not again. She couldn't lose somebody again.

There was no time to hesitate. She just lifted her arm and pulled the trigger.

Sydney screamed.

The cat screamed.

Rose didn't scream. She was running - faster than she thought she could. Swooping down over the bloody mess of fur and tangled limbs, and tugging at the big cat's shoulders until she managed to drag it away from the body trapped underneath.

'Did I hit you? Did it hurt you?' her hands slid fretfully over Sydney's blood-soaked neck and torso, searching for the site of the wound.

Not again. Not again. Not again.

'Stop, Rose,' Miss Sage clutched weakly at the deputy's wrists. 'I don't think it's my blood.'

Rose followed her gaze, shuddering in relief and disgust when she saw what her bullet had done to the animal's neck. Everything is alright, she told herself over and over - even though she didn't really believe it. Everything's going to be okay.

'Miss Sage!'

'Deputy Belikov!'

Panicked voices shouted out from the distance. The men were on their way.

'Where are you?'

'Are you hurt?'

'Rose?' Sydney was struggling to sit up; her voice raw and unguarded, her eyes bright with fear. 'I'm so glad you came to check on me.'

A deep and wordless sorrow haunted the deputy's expression.

'Me too,' she whispered in reply. 'Me too.'

Rose took one more look at the body of the wildcat and realised she needed to be far, far away from this place.

'Come on. Let's get out of here.'

She helped Sydney up from the rust-tinged mud and gripped her friend's hand tightly as they made their way towards the approaching voices.

* * *

That afternoon there were no jokes from Mr O'Hara, no complaints from Mr Sarcone, and no romantic overtures from Mr Barnes. They all rode in silence, travelling in close formation and keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

Nobody wanted to admit how close they had come to losing Sydney that day, but Miss Sage herself was not the type of person to dwell on her own misfortunes. If anything, she was less concerned about her own brush with death and more concerned about making up for lost time on the road; pushing to the front of the group and setting a brisk pace that saw them cover a further fifteen miles before sundown.

Deputy Belikov, however, was very concerned. She hovered at Sydney's flank every step of the way, and refused to let the woman out of her sight even after they'd made camp for the evening.

'You can stop watching me now,' Sydney peeked out at Rose from the toasty depths of her bedding, already half-succumbing to the welcome pull of sleep. 'I'm fine. Honestly.'

'I know.'

Rose didn't turn away.

Sydney tossed to find a comfortable position then settled and stilled, cracking one eye open.

'It's getting kind of creepy.'

The deputy rubbed her own eyes tiredly.

'Alright, alright... Just don't go sneaking off in the night and getting yourself killed. I promised your sister I'd bring you home safely. And Adrian Ivara.'

At any other time, Sydney would have made a defensive reply or shut down completely, but now her eyes welled with tears and she rolled over quickly to hide from her friend's gaze. One of the people Rose just mentioned had been on her mind almost constantly since the attack this afternoon, and - to her shame and confusion - it wasn't Carly.

Sleep did not come easily for the nurse or the deputy, and when Mr O'Hara woke at midnight to begin his watch-duty shift, he saw a woman sitting up by the fire.

'Rose?'

Christian approached tentatively, crouching in front of her and running a worried glance over her rigid posture, furrowed brows and vacant, staring eyes.

'What's up, soldier?' he asked quietly, watching on in surprise and pity as Rose's face crumpled - a pair of fat, glistening tears rolling unheeded down her cheeks, followed by another and then another.

The man sat quickly and put an arm around her shoulders, drawing her into a firm embrace and allowing her to weep without interruption or judgement.

In a little while the crying stopped.

'Do you want to talk about it?' Christian removed his arm and turned a little to face her.

The loss of the arm - even if it belonged to Christian O'Hara - set Rose off on another bout of crying and this time the deluge lasted even longer. When the tears stopped for the second time, Mr O'Hara was wise enough to leave his arm where it was.

'I think Dimitri is dead.'

Rose stared into the fire, and Christian followed suit.

'Why?'

She took a shallow gulp of air before answering.

'Well, the signs are hardly optimistic... He took a bullet to the head, Christian,' she turned to look at him, and her face betrayed the true extent of her despair. 'His own family didn't want me to go after him - Yeva told me outright that this search was hopeless. According to Aunt Rhonda, my future is too bleak to even speak of. The only evidence we've had that he is still alive is those bootprints we found a few days ago, and there's no guarantee they were even his. And today Sydney nearly died on my watch... Maybe I should stop acting like a child - hoping he's alive despite everything that's happened - and just accept the truth.'

There was a long silence.

'Does he _feel_ dead to you?'

Rose stalled, then shook her head.

'Then there's no reason to give up yet,' Christian said it like a fact.

The deputy looked up at the starless midnight sky and blinked hard.

'But what if... what if he's alive and so badly injured he dies before I find him?... Or what if I find him and he's so hurt that he doesn't remember who I am anymore?'

She was about to break down again, but Mr O'Hara stopped her in her tracks.

'Not possible,' he shook his head decisively.

'How do you know?' she almost pleaded.

There was another silence as Christian weighed up something in his mind then finally decided to speak.

'Do you want to know something I've never told anybody before?'

Nod.

He loosened his hand from around Rose's shoulder - testing to see that it was no longer required - then retrieved his arm.

'Last summer I was working a survey mission up north towards the Washington-Utah Territory border,' he paused to scrounge around in his pockets for his pipe, striking a match on the ground beside him then holding it over the bowl of the pipe and puffing several times to light the tobacco.

'I remember,' Rose filled the lull. 'Lisa wrote to me and said you'd been delayed - something to do with the terrain, wasn't it?'

'Yes and no.'

There was a sudden glow as the charred top-layer of tobacco ignited, and a smoky apple scent filled the air.

'It was the final day of the job. I was taking one last look around before re-joining my colleagues to head home, when I came across a wild blackberry bush - well, I thought that's what it was, but I must have identified it incorrectly.'

He looked into the fire, his right hand never idle - the match he'd just used to light his pipe flicking and rolling over the back of his fingers.

'I remember being... graphically ill. Within ten minutes I was on my hands and knees, and after that I didn't have the strength to even drag myself away from the pool of my own shit and vomit. I don't know how long I lay there, but eventually my vision started to fade, and that was when I remembered _her_. Lisa.'

Rose wrapped her arms around her knees and clung on tightly.

'I saw her face before me - as clear as day - and I knew I had to see her again. I had to tell her I loved her one more time.'

Mr O'Hara paused to take a long draw of his pipe, his eyes lost in the flames of the campfire.

'What happened then?' Rose prompted softly.

'Damned if I know,' he glanced in her direction with a brief, dry smile. 'The next thing I remember was waking up in a strange bed with a whiskery old Mormon woman watching over me. She fed me some soup and I fell asleep again. When I was finally well enough to speak I begged her to tell me where I was. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to walk fifty miles in three days - apparently I turned up at the front gates of the settlement demanding to see my wife at once, or I'd burn the place to the ground.'

Rose made a strange choking sound - somewhere between a laugh and a sob.

'You think that's funny?' Christian's face flared with a hint of the old antagonism, annoyed that she would make light of his private confession.

'It's a little bit funny,' her mouth twisted upwards. 'Even devoid of your senses and covered in your own shit you resorted to pyromania,' a laugh bubbled out of her mouth, and Christian conceded to see the funny side - glad that they could share a small moment of lightness in the midst of all the dark.

'But I'm glad you made it back,' Rose added, more quietly. 'Lis has loved you since the day you pulled her out of that creek, you know. She wouldn't be the person she is now without you in her life.'

She paused, a sly expression creeping around the corners of her eyes. 'I, on the other hand, have always considered you a rude, arrogant, argumentative beast... but _maybe_ ,' she drew the word out, 'just maybe, I might finally understand what she sees in you.'

Mr O'Hara gave her an appraising look.

'I suppose you're not a complete waste of air yourself, Deputy Belikov.'

They shared a pair of lopsided smiles before Christian grew more serious again.

'For what it's worth, I know Dimitri loves you more than anything in this world. If I can come back from a severe case of food poisoning and exposure, then he can come back from this. That's what you do for the one you love.'

Rose looked at the man in amazement before dropping her eyes to fiddle with the ring on her left hand.

'Did he tell you he loved me?'

Rose's husband was normally very guarded about his feelings around others, and she sometimes wondered if anybody (other than Lisa) knew the depth of Dimitri's devotion to her.

'Well, not _directly_ ,' Christian admitted, 'but given that we were sleeping in adjacent rooms the night you and the sheriff stayed at Cottonwood Creek Ranch last week, it was pretty hard not to overhear him proving how much he loves you!' his eyes danced wickedly and Rose's mouth dropped wide open.

'You... you snooping pig!'

'Hey - I'm the innocent one here!' he shrugged, his expression anything but innocent. 'All _I_ was trying to do was get a good night's sleep, but _somebody_ was enjoying his bread and butter too loudly. I think from that little demonstration alone, we both know that your beloved sheriff will be racing back to your side the very second he is able.'

Rose strongly considered punching the insolent blaggard, but at the last minute she leaned in and hugged him fiercely instead.

'Thankyou... for everything,' she rested her forehead on his shoulder, wrinkling up her nose at the tobacco smell that clung to his clothing.

'Anytime, kiddo,' he wrapped one arm around her back and held her until she was ready to pull away.

Aware that her eyes were beginning to close, Rose crawled the few feet back from the fire to her tent and stretched out beside Sydney.

' _Psst_ , Christian!' she lifted her head to get his attention.

'Mmm?' he wandered over, peering into the tent to find out what she wanted.

'If you tell anybody I cried tonight, I'll kill you with my bare hands.'

Christian was silent a moment, digesting the threat.

'And if you tell anybody I shat myself, I'll set your eyebrows on fire.'

Rose beamed into the darkness, and within a minute of resting her head on the pillow she was fast asleep.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Well that was a long time between chapters - please accept my humblest apologies. Remember to leave a review so I can send you a chapter preview/progress update for Chapter 7 :)**_

 _ **The Sweet Sydney song is based on an actual cowboy ballad of the mid-1800's called 'Sweet Betsy of Pike'. You can read the full lyrics on the website Legends Of America if you feel so inclined (I get a lot of my wild west intel from here - it's an amazing site).**_

 ** _How much would it suck to get your period riding on horseback every day and camping with a bunch of ignorant men at night - before pads/tampons were invented?! Awkward!_**

 ** _I had the idea for Sydrian's first meeting way back at the end of the original DB story so I'm REALLY glad I finally got to include it now! Any guesses as to what Sydney is hiding about her & Adrian? I promise answers in the next chapter._**

 ** _And some more headway on Rose's fertility issues - what do you think is going to happen with that, I wonder?! :P (*I'll give you some solid Dimitri answers next chapter too - hopefully that will give you a bit of a break from wondering about what's happened to him*)_**

 ** _Man-germs - for the record, they don't exist. In the 1860's 'germs' in general didn't exist (well, they were actually everywhere, but scientists only figured that out around the 1880's). So man-germs is inaccurate on every level. But I still think Rose wouldn't want Christian to hold her hand!_**

 ** _The RoseXChristian scene at the end of the chapter was inspired by a scene between Hawkeye & Hotlips in M*A*S*H - when they finally open up to one another after a life-threatening situation, despite being frenemies for so long. I love writing for this couple (but not as 'a couple' - ew!)_**


	7. Las Vegas

**_Drunk Sydney, a solid lead on Dimitri & a whopping 8000+ word count. Strap in!_**

 ** _(Also, you might find some minor Bloodlines spoilers in this chapter - though they are heavily disguised in cowboy clothing.)_**

* * *

 **7\. Las Vegas**

'It's one hundred and seventy miles from here to Las Vegas.'

Christian was standing with a map spread out against the flank of his horse, imparting a few final pearls of wisdom to Rose and Sydney before they commenced the next leg of their journey; the ladies to the south, and the gentlemen up into the western mountains.

'You'll be passing through Shoshone and Paiute territory so remember to practice the signs I taught you, and only engage in contact if absolutely necessary. If you lose the trail, just keep the mountains on your right and follow them south-east until you come to your destination. If the weather stays as clear as it was this morning, I think you should manage to complete the journey in... four or five days.'

'We'll do it in three or four,' Rose announced stubbornly, while Sydney blinked in agreement at her side.

Mr O'Hara looked from the deputy to the nurse with quiet admiration. 'Hmm... I expect you might,' he conceded, extending his hand to bid each of them farewell.

'Safe travels, Miss Sage. Don't let this one do anything too reckless,' he jerked his head in Rose's direction. 'And I hope your mission with the deputy doesn't keep you away from Saint's Town too long. I happen to know of a certain gentleman who'll be very anxious to see you again. Perhaps, by the time I return home in the new year, there will be a new Mrs Ivara in town?' he waggled his eyebrows then hurried backwards, clutching at the spot on his arm where Deputy Belikov had struck him. 'What was that for?!'

Rose stalked after him until they were a few feet away from the others - last night's bonding session far from her mind.

'A little tact, Mr O'Hara,' she hissed, trying to spare Sydney the indignity of hearing her personal matters discussed in front of a very interested Sarcone and Barnes. 'Don't you ever think before you speak?'

The man smirked.

'Not really, but that's part of my charm!'

'Charm?' Rose scoffed. 'That's what you call it? And here I was thinking you were just being an insensitive ass, as usual.'

She would have gone on chiding him, but they both turned at a ripe slapping sound to see Sydney sweeping away from Mr Barnes; mounting her horse and assuming an impatient expression.

'I only asked her what this _Mr Ivara's_ got that _I_ haven't!' he muttered, nursing his bearded cheek with an injured expression. 'Talk about touchy!'

'Good looks, charisma, and a whopping great fortune for starters,' Rose informed him, coming across to give the man a consoling pat on the shoulder. 'Still, you mustn't lose heart. Miss Sage may have slipped through your net, but she's only _one_ woman and The West is a mighty big place. Just think how many beautiful, adoring young ladies are waiting for you - just on the other side of those mountains. Pretty ones, fair ones, dark ones, tall ones...'

Barnes perked up considerably, oblivious to the fact that Rose was teasing him.

'Good luck on your journey, ma'am. I hope you find your husband soon. He must be one helluva man for you to search after him so long and so far from home.'

'He is.'

The thought of Dimitri made Rose's heart clench with loss and longing, and she welcomed the distraction of Raphael Sarcone stepping forward to say farewell.

'Goodbye, deputy,' the thick-set gentleman claimed her hand. 'It's been an honour to make your acquaintance. If anything ever happened to me, I hope my wife would be as loyal as you and come hunting for me as well.'

There was a snigger from Mr Barnes.

' _Your_ wife, Sarcone? If she knew about the hanky-panky you get up to every time we stop at Aunt Rhonda's, she'd be hunting after you, alright. With a double-barrelled shotgun!'

'Well, let's make sure she never finds out then, shall we?' Sarcone warned, hustling the younger man towards the horses, and leaving Deputy Belikov alone with Christian O'Hara.

'I trust _you_ aren't indulging in any hanky-panky, Mr O'Hara,' Rose's glare was just as threatening as the finger jabbing into Christian's chest. 'If I hear of you doing _anything_ to dishonour your beautiful wife, I swear I'll...'

Christian shook his head, a smile not far from his lips.

'No hanky... or panky, I promise,' he pushed the finger away and took her hand instead - holding it loosely in his. 'God speed you on your journey, Mrs Belikov. I'm certain you'll find what you are looking for... You normally have a habit of getting your own way.'

The man had a unique and irritating way of making Rose want to punch him and hug him at the same time.

'Thank you, Mr O'Hara. I'll see you back at the ranch when you return after Christmas - that is, if you can keep yourself from eating any wild berries that might disagree with you.'

A smart reply danced on Christian's tongue, but he chose to keep it to himself. It was worth being taunted - just this once - to get a parting glimpse of the carefree, mischievous, pain-in-the-caboose Rose he had secretly grown to love (well, _tolerate_ , at least).

It wasn't long, though, before the serious Rose returned.

'But if I don't make it back to Saint's Town for some reason... promise me you'll give my love to Lisa. Tell her that she's been the best friend I could have wished for, and I will always think of her like a second soul - even if fate has cast us far apart... And tell her I have a feeling she's going to be an amazing mother... and I wouldn't be entirely offended if she chooses to name the baby after me,' she smiled just a little at the end.

Christian shook his head, gazing down at her with something very close to affection.

'Sorry, kid. I don't do sentimental stuff. You'll have to tell her all that yourself.'

Moisture filled Rose's eyes and she gripped the man's fingers tightly, glad that at least one person had faith she would complete her mission and return home again safely.

'I guess we'll see one another again in the new year, then, Mr O'Hara,' she announced bravely. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to stick to her word, but she planned to give it her best God-darn try.

'I guess we will,' he nodded gravely, releasing her to go - watching after the deputy and Miss Sage until they were swallowed by the pale, desolate expanse that stretched out endlessly ahead of them.

* * *

'We should probably make camp for the night.'

Rose slowed her horse beside Sydney's when the light was beginning to fade, indicating a suitable camping site off to the side of the trail. Her heart told her to keep on riding - every step forwards a step closer to finding Dimitri - but the horses had worked hard all afternoon and deserved a good night's rest.

'I think we must have covered thirty miles since lunchtime.'

'Closer to thirty-five,' Sydney amended, mechanically reaching for the tent that was stowed with her other luggage.

Rose moved to assist her, aware that they needed to get a fire going and attend to the horses' needs before she could justify taking care of her own grumbling stomach.

'Thirty-five is good,' she ran some sums in her head. 'So, that leaves a hundred and thirty-five miles to go. It's Sunday now... If we can average fifty miles a day we should be in Las Vegas by Tuesday afternoon.'

'Fort Baker.' Sydney's face was invisible behind the tent, but there was a clear note of irritation in her voice.

'Sorry?'

The nurse's head appeared, followed by her body. She was struggling to untangle a knot in one of the tent ropes, and the knot appeared to be winning.

'Las Vegas was renamed _Fort Baker_ when Union troops were stationed there to protect the Mormon settlers against the threat of a southern invasion. You really aught to have known that, being a government official yourself.'

Rose bit back a harsh reply. They'd been riding all day. They were tired and hungry. They were well over a hundred miles from the nearest sign of civilization. Now was not the time to be starting an argument.

'It must have slipped my attention. I guess I've had a lot going on lately.'

The sharpness in Sydney's expression melted.

'I'm sorry. The name of the place doesn't even matter... It's just so cold, and we're such a long way from home, and I've got cramps that would cripple a horse... and _this_ godforsaken thing,' she shook the knotted rope in frustration. 'I'm afraid things are getting to me a little.'

Miss Sage wasn't the type to admit weakness, and Rose knew how much that confession must have cost her.

'Don't worry about it,' she stepped closer and took the rope from the other woman's hand, fingers working deftly to undo the knot. 'You should have heard the things I used to come out with when it was my time of the month. I can't tell you how many times Madam Kiroy made me stay back after lessons and write _I will not cuss like a man_ over and over until I couldn't grip the pencil anymore.'

Despite her moodiness, Sydney cracked a small smile and the pair finished setting up their camp without further discussion or complaint.

It was only when the evening meal was cooked and ready to eat that Rose noticed just how quiet it was without Christian and the others sharing their campfire.

'I'm starving,' she announced to fill the silence, ladling out one generous serving of salted-beef and onion broth for herself, and passing the second bowl to her companion. 'You?'

Sydney spooned dubiously through the gelatinous grey-brown liquid without actually tasting it. 'I'm not sure.' Her stomach was cramping with hunger but she wasn't certain she would be able to keep the meal down. Her whole mid-section was already twisted with cramps of another sort, and her insides squirmed uneasily whenever she considered how far they were from home and safety.

There was nothing wrong with the deputy's skills of observation.

'What's on your mind, Sydney?'

Miss Sage looked up briefly but didn't respond, her spoon still trailing slowly through the broth.

'Whatever's bothering you,' Rose tried again, secretly missing the easiness of her friendship with Lisa. 'Carly, the mountain lion, Indians, Mr Ivara...'

The aimless stirring stopped.

'...I'm here to listen if you want to talk.'

When Sydney looked up again she didn't seem upset or offended by the offer - only tired.

'Actually, I think I just need a few hours of sleep to clear my head. Do you mind taking first watch tonight?'

Rose got up from beside Miss Sage and took the untouched meal from her hands, shooing her away when she attempted to scrape out the soup-crusted cooking pot instead of heading straight to bed.

'I can sort this out. Just leave your washing by the fire before you go to sleep and I'll see that it's soaked and hung up to dry.'

Sydney looked like she was going to refuse, but then another yawn stole out of her mouth and she conceded defeat.

'Thank you, Rose. Remember to wake me when it's my watch?'

The deputy promised she would, and spent the next few hours scouring the darkness for signs of movement; passing the time by imagining what she and Dimitri would be doing right now if none of this had happened. (Probably falling into bed after a full weekend spent with their friends and family. He would tell her all the things she'd missed that had been spoken in Russian throughout the day. She would complain that Yeva had made another rude comment about her. He would remind her that she shouldn't pay attention to anybody's opinion of her except her husband's, and so far her husband had absolutely no complaints. She would goad him into telling her just one thing he thought she should improve upon. He would tease her by taking a long time to decide on an answer, then announce that he wished she wouldn't talk so much when he was trying to go to sleep. She would challenge him to stop her talking if he dared. He would stop her with his lips and neither of them would get any sleep until they were both lying back against the pillows; their heads turned to face one another, their chests rising and falling quickly, and their fingers intertwined.)

* * *

Rose and Sydney set out early the next morning and were glad to make swift progress on the road.

There was nothing especially appealing about their destination. Las Vegas was little more than an isolated outpost in the desert, but reaching the fort meant fresh food supplies, clean clothing, a proper night's sleep on a real bed, and - most importantly - the possibility of finding Dimitri, or at least hearing news of him. After travelling rough for over a week, the promise of comfort and safety only a day and a half's ride away felt almost too good to be true.

Unfortunately, when something feels too good to be true, it often is.

'Rose!' Miss Sage sat rigid in the saddle, her heart racing as she tugged at the reins to stop.

The deputy slackened her pace but kept moving, forcing Sydney to draw up alongside her and converse as they rode.

'You've seen him, then,' she threw a glance towards a dark shape nearly two hundred yards off to the right of the trail, partially obscured against the dappled backdrop of the snow-capped Sierras. 'I think he's been tracking us for about an hour.'

It was around ten-thirty a.m. that Rose noticed they were being followed. At first she discounted the image as a mirage, and then guessed it to be a pair of wild horses - their silhouettes hazy and overlapping in the distance - but eventually she had to accept the truth. It was a man on horseback. He didn't sit heavy on his horse like a cowboy, but swayed almost gracefully; of one mind with the beast beneath him. Instead of wearing a broad-brimmed hat and winter coat, his head was adorned with feathers and his slight frame was bulky with furs, and once or twice, Rose thought she could make out the curved arc of a bow resting across his lap. It was an Indian.

'You knew and you didn't think to tell me?!' Sydney choked.

She'd realised they would probably run into Indians at some point along the journey, but now that she was actually seeing one with her own eyes, all confidence and logic fled her mind - replaced by stories scalpings, kidnappings, savagery and rape. If she wasn't momentarily paralysed with fear, she might have turned her horse on its tail and fled.

'I didn't want to worry you,' Deputy Belikov explained, eyes focused on the path ahead as she continued to run through every scenario she could think of, just as Dimitri had taught her. 'If he wanted to attack us he would have done it by now.'

She hoped to God that she was right.

Miss Sage gripped the reins tightly.

'So what do we do now?' she glanced around warily, wishing herself miles away from here (specifically in a certain room above a certain saloon - with a certain pair of arms wrapped protectively around her).

'Nothing,' Rose shrugged. 'Just keep riding and try not to give him any reason to want to kill us.'

'I guess I'd better put my pistols away, then!' a high-pitched, nervous giggle fell from Sydney's lips.

Rose looked at her askance.

'Over three hundred miles with barely a smile and _now_ you feel like joking?'

This nurse was crazy.

'I know one about a chicken too, if you want to hear it,' the nurse giggled again - so anxious she was beginning to sound a little drunk.

'Maybe later,' the deputy shook her head, bemused, then returned her concentration to the task at hand - making it to Las Vegas without getting any arrow holes in her favourite riding dress.

They were still alive by nightfall.

'Commissura brevis, pyramid, uvula, amygdala, furrowed band, nodulus, posterior medullary velum, nidus hirundinis...' Sydney muttered, her eyes trained on the campfire and her gloved hands toying with the fabric of her skirt.

Deputy Belikov looked up from the coffee she was pouring - curious and a little concerned.

'Are you praying in Latin?'

Serious-Sydney could be mildly unpleasant company, Joking-Sydney was mildly disturbing, but Praying-Sydney? That was something Rose had never expected to see.

The nurse's lips twitched with the faintest hint of amusement.

'I'm just revising anatomical terminology for the major structures and systems of the human body. I find it soothes the nerves.'

'I don't think it's working,' Rose cast a meaningful glance at Sydney's restless fingers.

Miss Sage immediately crossed her arms to stop herself from fidgeting - annoyed she was not as cool and collected as she would like to be.

'How can you _not_ be worried? That native is still out there in the dark and we're just sitting here waiting for him to attack. I wish he'd hurry up and get it over with!'

'I've gotten out of tighter scrapes than this before,' the deputy reassured her, prudently omitting the fact that Dimitri had been close-by to support her on all of those occasions. 'The way I see it, there are only two options in this scenario. Either our Indian friend _does_ pay us a visit, at which time I will make it crystal clear that his presence is unwelcome,' she patted the gun at her belt, 'or he _doesn't_ pay us a visit, and all we have to do is ignore him for the rest of the night, then make a run for Las Vegas at dawn - hopefully before he alerts any of his fellow tribesmen that we are passing through their lands.'

'That _really_ doesn't make me feel any calmer,' Sydney winced.

After a brief pause, Rose walked away from the fire and crouched down by one of the saddlebags, returning moments later with a bottle in her hand.

'Maybe this will help, then?'

She held the whiskey aloft and shook it so the firelight caught its amber gleam.

Sydney's eyes widened.

'I don't think that's a good idea.'

Rose's lips widened.

'I think it's a _very_ good idea.'

'You want me to drink that coffin varnish?!' the nurse protested. 'Are you trying to kill me? Apart from the fact is _completely_ uncouth for ladies to be drinking, it tastes vile and smells revolting. As a medical professional, I'd only _ever_ recommend it to be used in an emergency situation.'

'Well, consider this an emergency situation,' Rose poured a liberal amount into each of their coffee cups and brought both drinks over from the fire. 'If the worst happens and this ends up being my last night on earth then I, for one, would like to spend it in good spirits - and I _can't_ do that if you're jabbering on about Latin body parts all night. Drink up, Miss Sage,' she took a deep draft of the warm, bitter liquid by way of demonstration then waited expectantly for her friend to follow suit.

Indecision and guilt crossed Sydney's face before she finally bit the bullet, knocking back a quantity that would have made Adrian Ivara proud.

'There. Are you happier now?'

'Much,' Rose grinned, taking another mouthful from her own cup then biding her time to see exactly what effect the alcohol would have on the prim and proper Sydney Sage.

* * *

'It's not true - what they say,' Sydney announced cryptically, when she was mid-way through her second drink.

'What's not true?' the deputy's eyes flashed with lazy interest.

The two women were sitting side by side on their bedding in front of the fire, huddled together for warmth (and for comfort as well, though neither of them admitted it aloud). They hadn't forgotten about the Indian hiding in the darkness, but the alcohol had loosened moods and tongues, and the conversation had moved on to other topics.

'The size of a man's boots being proportional to the size of his... you know,' the blonde woman trailed off.

This news came as a genuine surprise to Rose.

'But my husband wears very large boots and he is... exceptionally proportional,' she mused aloud.

Sydney nearly choked on her drink and tried to cover it with an important-sounding cough.

'Well, that's as may be, but in my line of work I've seen a surprising number of you-know-whats and let me tell you, most of them aren't much to look at. I saw one once that bore an uncanny resemblance to the fruit of a prickly pear cactus. All round and purple and-...'

It was Rose's turn to splutter.

'I had no idea you were such a woman of the world, Miss Sage,' she did her best to smother the laugh that welled up from her aching lungs.

'Perhaps... but not as much of a _woman of the world_ as you are, apparently,' Sydney huffed.

Rose discovered that the relaxing effect of the alcohol no longer so relaxing.

'What do you mean by that, exactly?'

'What do you _think_ I mean by that?' came the cool reply.

So much for spending the night in good-spirits.

'I honestly have no idea. Why don't you just tell me what's bothering you so we can sort it out?'

There was an uncomfortable silence, then Sydney took a bolstering sip of her drink and looked the deputy straight in the eye.

'I found the pictures.'

Confusion and suspicion stirred at the back Rose's mind.

' _What_ pictures?'

'Don't tell me you don't know about them,' the nurse's face soured. 'Everybody I talked to in town confirmed that you posed for Mr Ivara's _paintings_ ,' she said the last word like it was a shameful thing.

'Now hold on a minute,' Rose set her cup down a little too heavily. 'I sat for _one_ painting and it was very tasteful. Mr Ivara hung the portrait in the saloon for a short while, but took it down as soon my engagement to Dimitri was announced, just to make sure there were no public misunderstandings about the nature of my connection to him, which is _platonic_ , by the way... And for your information, my husband loves that picture - it was his favourite wedding gift.'

Sydney's forehead wrinkled uncertainly. 'So, the others... You didn't pose for them?'

' _What_ others?!'

'The ones I found in Adrian's bedroom!'

Rose baulked, all talk of paintings forgotten.

'You were in Adrian's bedroom?!... Not that I'm judging, of course,' she added quickly, catching the other woman's sharp look. 'It's just... I thought you loathed the man?'

Miss Sage glanced away, a glimmer of evasiveness and guilt in her alcohol-glazed expression.

'When I told you that nothing happened between me and Mr Ivara, I may have... left out a few details.'

It was obvious the secret had been gnawing at her for some time.

'Why don't you tell me what happened from the beginning?' the deputy suggested, already reaching for the whiskey bottle and pouring another generous splash into each of their coffee cups.

Sydney eyed her companion warily for a few moments, then knocked back one or two gulps of the hair-raising concoction and prepared to bare her soul.

'The day I met Adrian Ivara - the day of the _bridal six_ murders - I thought him self-obsessed, childish and inconsiderate. My father and I had set up a hospital ward in the hotel to care for the injured, and Adrian spent the whole afternoon playing a ridiculous game - trying to get my attention by pretending something was wrong with his leg wound, then forcing me to listen to his drunken banter and off-colour comments when I should have been tending to patients who actually needed my help. In the end, I had to banish him to his own quarters - not that he listened to my advice. The _fifth_ time he limped back into the ward and made a bee-line towards me, I told him I'd cut off his leg with a bone saw if he didn't get out and stay out...' she fell quiet, gazing into the fire with a glum expression.

'And then?' Rose chimed in, a little impatiently.

'It was a rough night. We lost one of the burns patients to fever, Miss Karp's condition required constant monitoring, and just before dawn Reverend Karp died unexpectedly of a heart attack. At seven o'clock, my father was called away to attend a medical emergency in the next town, then _your_ husband waltzed in and took Sonya Karp away without even asking if she could be released from my care, and finally I was left alone with two remaining patients - one with serious burns to his arms and face, and the other still passed out from the amputation we'd performed earlier to save his upper arm.'

Rose's stomach turned at the thought of such a gruesome operation.

'You must have been exhausted.'

'That's what Adrian told me too,' Sydney confided self-consciously. 'He came in at eight a.m. - sober - with a heaped tray of breakfast and insisted I eat it all in front of him. Then he informed me that he would be looking after my patients for the rest of the morning, and ordered me to bed for a minimum of four hours. I refused, of course, but he said I might be the head nurse but he owned the hospital so there was no point arguing with him.'

The deputy allowed herself a private smile. Adrian Ivara certainly possessed a special talent for being persuasive.

'I stayed another two days in Saint's Town after that,' the nurse continued. 'Mr Ivara and I spent time together. _Talking_ ,' she added, seeing Rose lift an eyebrow. 'The day I left, he asked if he could write me when I returned to my studies in Boston. I knew Father wouldn't approve of me associating with a gentleman as worldly as Adrian - _I_ didn't even approve of him myself in many respects - but I suppose I was feeling a bit rebellious so I gave him my address.'

'That's my girl!' Rose smacked her on the back in congratulations. 'So these letters... were they love notes?'

Miss Sage took a gulp of her drink for courage.

'Not at first. We just talked about our families. Our fathers have a lot in common... I believe the popular term would be _assholes_ ,' she clarified, smirking briefly when Rose's jaw fell wide open.

'But later... things changed. He wanted something more than friendship, but I couldn't give him what he desired. My career is everything to me, Rose,' Sydney's voice was soft but passionate. 'Marriage would mean the end of my medical studies _and_ my nursing position with the Union Army. Even if my profession wasn't a consideration, my father would never allow me to marry a man who owned a drinking and gambling den, regardless of his material wealth. It would bring shame on my family and go against everything we stand for...' her face darkened. 'And then there's the pictures.'

Rose pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders, feeling strangely nervous, while Sydney proceeded to address the next part of her speech into the depths of her mug.

'Last time I travelled to Saint's Town on medical business, I needed to stay in town overnight but all the rooms at the hotel were already taken. That's when Mr Ivara offered me his own quarters. It was highly irregular, but I didn't have anywhere else to go and he promised he would be discreet, so I accepted. Later that evening, I was preparing for bed when Adrian knocked on the door. He was bunking the night at Eddie Castile's house and needed to gather a few personal items, but when he was on his way out again, he... he came up to me and took my face in his hands... He said I had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen and begged my permission to paint them.'

Jealousy tugged at the deputy's heart - not because she wanted Adrian's attention for herself, but because she was thinking of the first, forbidden encounters she and Dimitri had shared, and wondering if they would share such moments again in the future.

'I don't know what came over me, but I agreed to his request without even thinking. He...,' Sydney touched her neck self-consciously. '...he kissed me on the cheek and left the room before I could change my mind.'

'Very wise of him,' Rose made an attempt to lighten the mood a little.

Sydney didn't smile.

'But after he left, I saw a sketchbook on his bookcase by the bed and decided to find out if he was as skilled a painter as I had heard...,' she faltered, snatching a furtive glance at the woman seated beside her. 'I wish I'd never opened the thing. It was filled with pictures of women. Faces, bodies... nudes.'

'I'm sure there's nothing untoward about it,' Rose suggested, though she wouldn't be entirely surprised if lechery was one of Adrian Ivara's many vices. 'Artists have been drawing nudes for centuries - even the great religious painters did it. The Cistern Chapel, for instance,' the name sounded vaguely familiar - something Lisa went on about at great length when she began taking an serious interest in her art lessons.

Sydney didn't even bother to correct her. 'I'm a nurse, Rose. Nudity doesn't concern me... What _did_ concern me was that all of the women he drew and painted had _your face_.'

'That dirty rat!' Deputy Belikov exclaimed, springing up from the blankets like she was about to gallop all the way back to Saint's Town to exact her revenge that very instant.

'The dirtiest, rattiest rat in dirt town,' Sydney declared sombrely, tipping her head back and draining her whiskey to the last, disgusting drop.

'And he wanted _me_ to tell _you_ what a reformed man he is, and how he hopes to be worthy of your love?!' Rose paced the fire angrily, returning to grab her own cup and practically throwing the stuff down her throat. 'Who could possibly fall in love with a love rat like that?'

She wasn't expecting an answer but a small voice broke the silence.

'Me.'

The deputy stopped pacing and stared at the blonde woman like she had gone completely mad.

'And if we get killed by Indians tonight,' Sydney confessed sadly, 'then I'm never going to get the chance to tell Adrian that I think I _do_ love him - even if he is just a dirty, rotten, drunken, gambling, lecherous love rat.' She fell quiet, then hiccupped. 'I'm really drunk aren't I?'

Rose could think of a few choice words she'd like to say to Adrian too - on behalf of herself and Miss Sage - but she would have to deal with him later.

'I think I like you better this way,' she knelt down and wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder, surprised and pleased when Sydney relaxed into the one-armed embrace. 'We should do this again one day, don't you think? You can come around to my place for supper one night, then we'll let Dimitri and Adrian do the washing up while we retire to the sitting room and share a couple of brandies.'

'Or you and the sheriff can visit us at the saloon and...'

There was an odd snorting sound and Rose turned her head to see that Sydney had fallen asleep mid-sentence; the emotional upheaval, physical exhaustion and excessive consumption of alcohol finally taking their toll. Feeling immediately tired herself, Deputy Belikov lowered the sleeping woman carefully to the ground and pulled the blankets up under her chin; fighting back a yawn that would have swallowed most of Utah, Nevada and the New Mexico Territory as well. If they were going to make it through the night unmolested by Indians, then she would just have to find the will to stay awake.

* * *

'Rose! Get up!'

Sydney shook her shoulder, and there was sickening moment as the deputy's eyes flung open and she realised that she had fallen asleep on her watch. How could she be so selfish and reckless? If she was in the army she'd have been shot. She _deserved_ to be shot.

'Are we surrounded?' Rose staggered to her feet and clutched desperately for her pistol.

'Calm down. We're fine. It's just time to leave. I've been awake for a few hours and packed us breakfast to go,' Sydney nodded to a stack of hot cakes by the fire, her hands occupied folding up the last of their bedding.

The deputy exhaled slowly, pressing at the sharp headache that was throbbing behind her eyes. Last night she'd held her liquor remarkably well, but now it was getting its own back.

'Thank you. And I'm so sorry. I should never have allowed myself to fall asleep while you were in my care... How are you feeling - after last night?'

If the hangover was hitting her this hard, then teetotaller Sydney must be in agony.

'Perfectly fine, actually. I've never understood how Adrian could drink so much, but perhaps one or two drinks on occasion wouldn't be such a bad thing,' the nurse smoothed her perfectly-pinned hair and smiled timidly.

In that moment, Rose hated Sydney just a little bit. Nobody who'd drunk that much the night before deserved to be so poised and pretty the next morning.

'So we're calling him _Adrian_ now, not _Mr Iv_ -...?'

Rose had been planning to tease her friend about the recent revelations, but cut off abruptly when a lone rider appeared - as if from nowhere - only a stone's throw from their camp. Their Indian friend had decided to make his move.

Deputy Belikov's hand darted instinctively for her gun for the second time that morning, but Sydney tugged sharply at her sleeve.

'No! Let me try first,' she hissed, turning to face the stranger and raising two fingers on her right hand. _Friend._

Nothing happened.

Maybe he doesn't understand? Rose worried, mirroring the action. She was used to facing danger with a pistol in her hand - not holding her arm up in the air like an open invitation for the Indian to shoot her in the ribs. It didn't matter that he looked a bit on the scrawny side. You didn't need to be tall and bulky to fire an arrow, and Rose had no doubt that the native before them would hit his target every time.

Sydney tried again, then with her other hand, then signed a series of other words that Mr O'Hara had taught them (none of which Rose remembered the meanings for).

Still nothing.

'Well if he hasn't killed us by now, then I guess that means we're going to be best buddies,' Deputy Belikov muttered out of the corner of her mouth, and that's when the Indian moved.

Rose may have been a novice at Indian sign language, but the outward slicing motion of the stranger's copper-skinned hand was unmistakable. _Go. Leave. Begone._

The women didn't wait to be told twice.

'We've done as he asked. Why doesn't he leave us alone?' Sydney asked several hours later.

They'd eaten their breakfast on horseback and skipped lunch altogether - concerned by the persistent shadow that tracked alongside them at a distance. Instead of taking regular food and rest breaks, the travellers altered their pace throughout the day - first a quick trot, then increasing to a lope for a shorter interval, then dropping back to a walk to allow the horses respite. The deputy's secret stash of jerky got them through the afternoon, but as dusk approached, both Rose and Sydney were hungry, saddle sore and eager to halt.

'Coffee,' Sydney's voice was raspy from lack of use.

'Bed,' Rose groaned, slipping down from the saddle and nearly falling flat on her rear; her whole body gripped in that curious, unnameable state between numbness and agony.

There was a soft _thunk_ and the deputy's horse shied. She grabbed its reins at once, hushing the animal in soft, soothing tones and running her hand down its quivering neck.

'How far is it to Las Vegas, Miss Sage?' Rose asked between reassurances, sounding much calmer than she felt.

'Maybe another ten, fifteen miles? Why? What's going on?'

Rose led her horse in a slow circle to calm it, casting a meaningful look back at the ground where they had just been standing, and Sydney paled when she saw a single arrow sticking up from the earth.

'I didn't want that coffee anymore, anyway,' the nurse grimaced, mounting her horse as quickly as she was able to so they could resume their journey southward.

An hour later, the daylight was all but gone.

'We need to stop,' Sydney peered out into the murk. It looked like it was going to rain again, and there was only so much further they could go before they had no light to guide them at all. If they lost the trail it wouldn't matter if they had an Indian on their tail or not. Their food supplies were nearly out, and if hunger didn't get them, the cold certainly would.

'We can't,' Deputy Belikov answered simply, pressing forwards.

One step at a time. Another hour, maybe two, and they would reach their destination. Just one step at a time.

It was nearing nine-thirty when Sydney spoke up again, her voice weak with fatigue.

'A light.'

If Rose wasn't on horseback she would have kissed the woman out of sheer relief.

'Let's go and get that coffee you were after,' she announced into the darkness, and both women discovered that they did, in fact, have one last reserve of energy to carry them the final distance to the welcoming gates of Las Vegas.

* * *

'State your name and business.'

The man was wearing civilian clothing but had what looked like a Union-issued firearm pointed at Rose's chest.

'I'm Deputy Rose Belikov of Saint's Town, and my companion is Nurse Sydney Sage, currently serving under Doctor Jared Sage at Fort Freemont, five hundred miles north of here. My sheriff was attacked and taken by a group of rebels a little under two weeks ago, and I've been tasked to find him - Sheriff Dimitri Belikov. Do you know of him?'

'It's just a pair of women!' a second guard - a humourless man with greying whiskers and no moustache - stepped right up beside Sydney's horse and jabbed his rifle into her shoulder. 'What are you two doing out here after dark. Spies for Johnny Reb, no doubt. Let's get you down and see what you're hiding in your pockets.'

'Don't you dare touch me!' Miss Sage snapped, striking out viciously when he attempted to remove her from the saddle.

The man was about to return the favour with the butt of his rifle but Deputy Belikov distracted him.

'I demand to speak with the person in charge! At once!'

'We don't take orders from you, heathen,' the first man took a threatening step forward, motioning with the muzzle of his gun for Rose to dismount. 'Get off. Now.'

Rose was not in the mood to be messed with.

'Why don't you make me?' she challenged, itching for the chance to draw her pistol and teach the man to mind his manners.

'Ladies! You're here!' a new voice called out unexpectedly, and a man in a smart, blue uniform strode through the gates of the Mormon fort, indicating for the two guards to stand down. 'Please accept my sincerest apologies for the frosty welcome, friends, but you can never be too careful with a war on. Please, come with me. You're expected.'

Sydney nodded stiffly in gratitude and followed the soldier through the heavy wooden gates, but Rose remained silent and alert.

 _Expected_? By whom?

'This way,' their guide ushered them through the darkened streets until they came to stop outside a modest dwelling on the outskirts of the settlement.

'Whose house is this?' Rose frowned. 'I asked to see your superior officer, and this sure as hell isn't the barracks.'

Before the soldier could answer, the door to the house opened and a grizzled, wild-looking man exited the building, walking quietly and purposefully toward them.

'Pavel?!' Rose stared at him incredulously.

Alberta's lawyer, Abraham Mazur, had promised he'd keep an ear out for information concerning Dimitri, but he and Pavel were meant to be heading _west_ , not south.

The old man nodded in sombre greeting, taking the deputy's reins when she dismounted.

'Is Mr Mazur inside?'

Pavel nodded again, and Rose felt her stomach lurch into her mouth - putting two and two together.

'Does he have news of my husband?'

The man had barely inclined his head and Rose was already heading for the door - bursting into the main living room to accost the richly-dressed gentleman who was seated in an armchair by the fire.

'Dimitri? Is he here?' she searched the room anxiously, her heart dropping when she saw no sign of her beloved cowboy. 'Why are you here? Have you heard something?' she crossed the room and grabbed the lawyer's arm as he stood to greet her. 'Is he alive?'

'Well hello to you too, Deputy Belikov,' Abraham Mazur exuded calm and control, taking his guest's hand and squeezing it gently - and although his accent wasn't Russian, Rose found the lilt of it strangely soothing. 'Come, child. Sit. You must be tired from the road,' he led her to a chair as if this was a perfectly ordinary house-call, handing her a cup of very strong, very black coffee. 'I trust our Indian friends didn't trouble you on your journey?'

'Not until yesterday,' Rose would really rather be talking about Dimitri. 'A lone rider. He left us well alone last night, but today he seemed very anxious to have us out of his territory.'

'Aah. That would be Tad.'

'What? You _know_ him? That bastard shot an arrow at me!'

'Taduwidetsihi - a native tracker friend of Pavel's,' Mr Mazur explained. 'As soon as we knew the route you'd be taking south, I instructed Pavel to organise a guide to watch over you once you'd passed south of the Sylvania Mountains. I had full confidence you could make the journey alone, of course,' he clarified, when he saw the deputy narrow her eyes. 'It was just a precaution... Tad's a good man - a loyal man. He'd only fire at you if it was meant as a warning. If he was shooting to kill, you wouldn't be alive to tell the tale.'

Rose shook her head in disbelief.

'Why didn't he just come over and say hi?!'

'It's not his way,' Abe shrugged, rising from his chair to welcome Miss Sage who had just entered the room.

When they were all seated again - each of them sipping at a cup of what their host referred to as 'real coffee' - Rose was unable to wait any longer.

'Dimitri. What news do you have? Good or bad, I _need_ to know.'

Mr Mazur's dark, handsome features set into a frown.

'Well, he's alive - I can tell you that much.'

Tears sprang to the deputy's eyes and she gripped the arms of her chair tightly to keep herself from floating right up to the ceiling.

'But I'm afraid it's not all good news,' the lawyer studied her carefully, waiting for permission to continue.

Rose swallowed with some difficulty then nodded.

'After I left Cottonwood Creek Ranch the night of the attack, I travelled west to inspect the barn where Miss Carly and Sheriff Belikov were accosted, then headed on to Fort Freemont to... clear up a little business that needed taking care of there,' the gentleman's eyes flicked to Miss Sage, who became suddenly very interested in her drink. 'After sending off a few telegrams, I had Pavel turn the carriage around and we rode east for Salt Lake City.'

'Why there?' the deputy's brow furrowed.

'Firstly, I wanted to contact your mother's husband - Hank Croft - to suggest he use his military connections to help in the search for Sheriff Belikov,' Abe explained, sharing his attention between his two guests. 'Secondly, an independent matter arose that meant I, too, needed to travel to Las Vegas. Rather than following after you on the southern trail, I chose to take the Mormon Trail south-west from Salt Lake City to double our chances of hearing news of Dimitri.'

'And you did... hear news,' Rose prompted.

Mr Mazur set down his drink and sat forward in his chair, adjusting the knees of his silk trousers and lacing his fingers in his lap.

'When my men and I arrived at Cedar City last Friday, the Mormon settlers were… excessively unwelcoming. It turned out that a group of five riders had passed through their town the day before - including a man that fit your husband's description. A fight broke out when the group were caught stealing from the town's food and ammunition stores. Four Mormons were killed, and the thieves lost one of their own as well. His body was displayed in an open casket outside the local law office to deter others who might think to cheat the brotherhood out of their rightful property.'

Rose looked ill.

'It wasn't Dimitri,' Abe added quickly. 'I checked the body to be certain.'

There was a brief silence as the deputy struggled to come to grips with what she'd just learned.

'But I don't understand. Dimitri is smart, strong, resourceful. If he's well enough to ride, then he should have escaped by now. How is it that he is still held captive?'

'I'm sorry to tell you this, Mrs Belikov, but your husband was not a captive,' the lawyer's expression was grave and sympathetic. 'He was guarding the horses during the robbery when a pair of Mormons approached him. He killed them both, unprovoked apparently. A father and son. The boy was only fourteen.'

Rose nearly had to excuse herself to be sick, and Sydney moved wordlessly to hover by her friend's shoulder - as if to protect her from whatever news might be coming next.

'If what you tell me is true,' Rose clutched at Dimitri's sheriff's badge still hiding beneath her collar, 'then there is something terribly wrong with my husband. His injury... he's not in his right mind. I must go to him. He needs my help.'

The lawyer leaned across to touch the back of Rose's hand.

'I understand why you want to go after him, deputy, but I must advise against it. The rebels have a price on their head – the sheriff included. If you choose to pursue him, you are putting yourself directly in the line of danger - not to mention the legal ramifications if it's found that you have knowingly aided a criminal.'

'You'd advise me to leave him out there alone, even now I know he's alive and in mortal danger?' Rose's voice was low and forced. 'What kind of person do you think I am? My husband needs me and I will _not_ desert him - regardless of any risk to myself.'

Abe was unaffected by the woman's passionate speech.

'Duly noted, deputy, but should you change your mind, my men and I leave for Saint's Town tomorrow and there is room in my carriage for you.'

'Thank you for the kind offer, Mr Mazur,' she said as graciously as she was able, 'but my mind is made up. Miss Sage and I will be riding east as soon as we've changed our horses and stocked up on our supplies… that is, if you're still willing to accompany me,' she twisted in her seat to look at her friend. 'You've already sacrificed a lot to join me on this mission. If there are... _things_ you need to get back to, then I completely understand.'

Sydney had wanted a chance to tell Adrian her feelings. Maybe this was it.

The nurse shook her head.

'I owe a debt to Dimitri for saving my sister, and a debt to you for saving my life as well. Of course I'm coming with you – for as long as you need me.'

'I'm afraid that won't be possible, ladies,' Abe interjected, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. 'Miss Sage will be coming with me.'

'I beg your pardon?' Sydney narrowed her eyes.

'What are you talking about?' Rose echoed.

The man took a leisurely sip of his coffee and fixed the blonde woman with a dark, intelligent stare. 'You _will_ come, Miss Sage. It has been decided that your presence is required elsewhere and I have been paid rather a hefty sum of money to retrieve you.'

'You can't do that!' Deputy Belikov jumped up from her chair and grabbed her friend's hand tightly. 'I won't let you take her.'

'I can't believe my father would do this,' Sydney clung on to Rose's fingers, her eyes flashing with resentment. 'I knew he'd be furious when he found out I'd abandoned my post at the fort, and there'd be hell to pay when I got back home, but I never expected him to go this far! He thinks he can just force me to do whatever he wants because I'm his daughter, but I won't...'

There was a chuckle from the armchair by the fire, and both women snapped around to glare at their host.

'I follow your reasoning, dear lady,' Abe looked faintly amused, 'but Doctor Sage was not the one who paid to have you returned. It was Adrian Ivara.'

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 ** _Rogue Dimitri - oh, crap. Dimitri killing an innocent is very bad news, but Rose is far from giving up. Super drama & romance about to come your way in the next few chapters. (More Sydrian to follow too!)_**

 ** _Pacing - A big thank you to readers who are enjoying/accepting the slow pace I've set for reuniting RoseXDimitri - and my deepest apologies to readers who are quickly running out of patience! I promise I'm not keeping them apart just to make you suffer, but because the storyline is closely tied to the geography of Rose's journey across the US. In many ways, this story is more about the journey than the destination (though the destination is going to have some surprises & fireworks to enjoy when we get there too). _**

**_If you need a loose time-line to pace your angst, Rose will be stopping off in Santa Fe, Oklahoma & Memphis before we get some skin on skin Romitri action. That's a lot of miles to cover, but I've got an epic plan that will make it worth your time - I hope you'll be able to stick with Rose (& me) until the end :)_**

 ** _Man-slapping - I just noticed the frequency of man-slapping in my stories. For the record, I personally don't condone violence against men or women, but I can't help imagining Sydney & Rose (and Alberta) as the man-slapping type!_**

 ** _Sydney's Anatomy Prayer - For science nerds, I've taken these anatomical terms from the original 1858 edition of Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical by Henry Gray (as in Gray's Anatomy... It's a new level of geekdom that I'm now skimming through archaic medical textbooks for leisure). The current terminology may have been revised from the mid-19th century, so if anything looks amiss, that's why!_**

 ** _Thanks NB313 for the Tad reference - one of Abe's generic lackeys in SB. And I'd like to give a_** ** _shout out to the guest reviewers - I wish I could reply to you individually, but I still appreciate the time you take to leave your thoughts._**

 ** _So... Thanks for reading - leave me a review & let me know what you think is coming next! :)_**


	8. Marian

**_This one is going to be bittersweet - and probably a bit more 'bitter' than 'sweet'._**

 ** _But please be brave & hang in there. I've got a very special character who wants his story told._**

 ** _(Before you freak out - Dimitri does not die, sleep with anyone, or get up to any Conan the Barbarian shenanigans in this chapter, so no need to stress!)_**

* * *

 **8\. Marian**

'To hell with Adrian Ivara!' Rose threw her arms in the air, incensed. 'Sydney isn't a _thing_ to be bought or traded. If she doesn't want to go back to Saint's Town then you have no right to take her!'

'I do actually,' Abe was irritatingly calm. 'Miss Sage and I recently entered into a private business arrangement and I expect her to honour her end of the bargain.'

 _Or else_... the unspoken threat behind his words was unmistakable.

'What kind of arrangement?' the deputy demanded.

It was Sydney who answered, her posture stiff and voice strained.

'Do you remember the two soldiers who attacked my sister - and your husband?'

'Of course.'

As if Rose would ever be able to forget them.

'Their names were Captain Keith Darnell and Private Brayden Cartwright. Both of them were stationed alongside me and my father at Fort Freemont.'

'You _knew_ them?' Rose stared at her in shock. 'Why didn't you tell me?!'

The blonde woman exhaled slowly, trying to remain calm.

'The morning of the attack, my father sent me out to treat a civilian who'd fallen from a ladder and broken his leg. Carly was only visiting the fort for a few days but she volunteered to come along and keep me company. Captain Darnell and Private Cartwright were assigned to us as chaperones - to _protect us_ from unforseen dangers on the road.'

The fireplace on the opposite wall filled the room with cheery light and warmth, but Sydney hugged her arms around herself as if she were cold.

'By the time we reached the homestead, my sister was feeling unwell so I told her to wait in the carriage while I saw to the injured man. I was just finishing up with the patient when I heard gunshots. I grabbed my medical bag and ran to check on Carly at once, but the carriage was empty and there was no sign of her or the soldiers anywhere else on the property. I actually felt relieved when I saw Darnell hurrying towards me from one of the outbuildings...,' Sydney faltered for half a beat then continued on mechanically, '...but then the captain put his hand over my mouth and dragged me behind a woodshed at the back of the house. He told me he'd just had one sister, and thought it might be _amusing_ to have the other as well.'

Rose barely managed to stop herself from cursing aloud.

'He said if I mentioned it to anybody he would say I begged him to take me... Then he told me he knew I had a younger sister too, and next time she visited Fort Freemont he planned on collecting the set.'

'Sonofabitch!' Deputy Belikov swore unapologetically, but Sydney frowned to quiet her.

'I couldn't let him get away with it,' she pressed on, anxious to relieve herself of the guilty secret she'd been harbouring for nearly two weeks. 'I told him if he promised to stay away from my sisters I would offer myself to him, willingly, as often as he desired.'

The deputy was across the room in an instant, grabbing her friend by the arm and searching her eyes for the truth.

'Tell me he didn't... If that bastard...'

Sydney winced away from the other woman's gaze.

'He wanted the first instalment of his payment right away, so while he was distracted unbuttoning his trousers, I... I struck out at him with my medical scissors and got him in the eye.'

Rose was so overcome with relief she actually laughed.

'It's _not_ something to be happy about, deputy,' Miss Sage cut her off sharply. 'I didn't kill Captain Darnell - I just wanted to make him stop... It was only later - on the ride back to Cottonwood Creek Ranch - that I began to realise it might have been better if I _had_ killed him. With Darnell alive and maimed, I'd probably be court-martialled and shot for attacking a superior officer... and if I ran away to escape punishment, then I'd have no way of guaranteeing my sisters' safety at the fort.'

Her gaze slid over to the man who was seated by the fire.

'I didn't know what to do, but Mr Mazur promised he'd take care of everything. Darnell, Carly, smoothing things over with my father so I'd have a job to return to when I got back from helping you find Sheriff Belikov. All I had to do was leave town for a while and Abe would come to collect me when the trouble had blown over.'

Rose frowned. The lawyer might have come highly recommend by Alberta, but there was something about him she still didn't trust.

'I'm thankful that your affairs are being well managed in your absence, Sydney, but what does _he_ get in return for these favours?' she threw a wary glance at their host.

'Information,' Abe spoke up from the comfort of his chair, smoothing a thumb and finger over his dark, luxurious moustache. 'Our country is in the grip of war, Deputy Belikov, and in war there are winners and losers. I intend to be a winner. Miss Sage has agreed to be my eyes inside Fort Freemont - if she sees or hears of anything that might be of advantage to me or my business interests, then she will let me know. A small price to pay for the services I have provided.'

'You call stealing government secrets _a small price_?!' Rose spluttered.

According to Adrian, Abraham Mazur had a reputation for dancing around the grey edges of the law, but this kind of activity was downright criminal.

Mr Mazur raised his hands innocently.

'I only want the best for all parties, myself included. If we do things _my_ way, Miss Sydney can return to her daily life with no threat of future reprisals from Captain Darnell; Miss Carly can be satisfied her attacker receives just punishment - without having to suffer the gross spectacle and humiliation of a public court case; Adrian Ivara's fears for his lady's safety will be happily allayed; and _I_ gain unrestricted access to the wealth of knowledge held by the Union Army (not to mention the tidy sum of money I'll be collecting from Mr Ivara upon our return). Don't you see? Everybody wins.'

'Why does it seem like you're winning the most?' the deputy scowled.

'Somebody doesn't win, actually,' Sydney challenged the lawyer, defending her case with mounting conviction. 'What about Rose? You said yourself that Sheriff Belikov's behaviour has been altered by his injury; making him violent and unpredictable... possibly even delusional. How can you expect me return to Saint's Town tomorrow and leave my friend to pursue her husband alone under such circumstances? Have you no compassion at all?!'

'Of course I wouldn't leave Mrs Belikov to travel alone,' Abe looked genuinely hurt by the accusation, quickly turning his attention to Deputy Belikov. 'What I am proposing is a _trade_. Miss Sage, for Pavel. Pavel?!'

A few seconds later, the door opened and Mr Mazur's companion appeared. The rain had started up again, and there was a brief delay as Pavel shook the excess moisture from the sleeves of his fringed deerskin jacket before entering the room.

'Pavel. My right hand man,' Abe stood to formerly introduce the newcomer, and the older man bowed his head awkwardly - his long, greying hair falling loosely over his face and mingling with the wild expanse of beard that hid his chin and neck from view. 'Consider him at your service.'

Rose's surprise quickly turned to suspicion.

'You'd give up your right hand man to help me? Why? What's the catch?'

'No catch, my dear,' Mr Mazur gazed at her steadily. 'Pavel is my most loyal and valued companion - sworn to serve me to the death if need be. I have faith he will do the same for my daughter.'

' _Daughter_?!'

Whatever else had been going through Rose's mind was whipped away by the gale-force wind that gusted furiously in her ears. _Daughter_? This smalmy, scheming criminal was her _father_?

Abe reached out to tug gently on one of the brown curls that fell, disorderly, about his daughter's face.

'You didn't get that colour from your mother, kid.'

The news did not go down well.

Seeing Rose's face pale and her hands ball into fists, Sydney suggested it was time they retired to their room. It had, after all, been a very long day, and everybody needed a good night's rest if they were to set out on their separate paths in the morning.

Abe condescended to show the ladies to their room himself and, a short time later, the nurse and the deputy were lying side by side in bed; each so tangled up in her own worries for the future that sleep continued to elude them.

'I'm sorry... I hope...,' Sydney turned her head to look at her friend, unable to find the words to express what was on her heart.

There was so much to say but so little time left to say it. In the morning they would be parted, and there was no knowing if they would ever meet again.

Under the blankets, there was a soft pressure as Rose's hand found hers.

'I know... Me too,' came the whispered reply, and they remained that way - hand in hand together - until sleep mercifully came to claim them.

* * *

The next morning's breakfast was a quiet one, despite Abe's attempts at small-talk. Pavel ate in silence at the far end of the table, while Sydney brooded over what to say to Adrian when next she saw him. (She might consider overlooking the man's decadent lifestyle and unsavoury artwork, but she absolutely drew the line at kidnapping.)

Rose had no interest in a reunion with her estranged father - her mind too preoccupied with plans for locating Dimitri - and Mr Mazur was wise enough not to push the matter. Instead, he kept his comments to lighter topics such as the rising cost of importing cigars, and the unseasonably rainy weather. When they'd all finished eating, though, he turned the conversation to the subject of Sheriff Belikov, and Rose immediately paid close attention to every word the lawyer had to say.

'It's possible that the sheriff and his companions headed due east after the incident at Cedar Creek,' Abe sketched out a rough map in his business ledger, 'but I'm betting they'll have cut south-east to meet up with the Santa Fe Trail. Santa Fe itself hasn't been drawn into the fighting as yet, so I suggest you begin your enquiries there then follow the trade road east into the heart of Confederate territory. With all the forts and military outposts along the way, there's a good chance somebody will recognise your husband's description.'

The deputy nodded grimly.

'And from here to Santa Fe? Do you have any advice for that stage of the journey?'

'Pavel is the expert on navigating that wasteland, not I,' Mr Mazur gestured to the older man who was quietly observing their conversation, 'so the only advice I can recommend is that you follow his instructions implicitly...'

Rose had really been hoping for something more useful.

'...But I did bring you a gift - to aid you on your journey,' Abe excused himself from the table and returned soon after carrying a large box, which he placed in front of the deputy. 'From your mother.'

'My mother?' Rose's stomach turned over. After all the news she'd had in the past twenty-four hours, she didn't think she could handle any more surprises.

'Alberta told me you'd be wanting these,' the gentleman clarified, removing the lid of the box to reveal its contents. 'I'm not sure I entirely approve of my daughter dressing as a man,' he continued, 'but unconventional times call for unconventional measures.'

Rose wanted to laugh and cry when she saw what was inside the parcel. The first item was a pair of trousers - not the figure-hugging pants that had rendered Dimitri speechless at their first training session together, but a smart, new pair made up to fit her current measurements. Beneath those were two linen shirts and a waistcoat, and at the bottom of the box lay a heavy woollen overcoat that fell just past her knees - perfect for keeping her warm and dry on the long ride east.

'Did she leave a message?' Rose felt homesick thinking of the woman who'd raised her; strict and firm whenever she'd needed to be, but with just enough kindness and humour to remind her delinquent daughter that she was loved.

'Not a message I care to repeat in the presence of ladies,' Mr Mazur's dark eyes twinkled, 'but suffice it to say she was very upset that you left without saying goodbye and wants you to know there will be hell to pay when you return.'

The deputy smiled, though her heart was aching.

'Please tell her thank you for the clothes. I love them. In fact, tell Alberta I think I'll throw out all my dresses as soon as I get back home and make this my regular attire!'

It was a weak attempt at humour but it did make her feel a little better.

'I should hope _not_ , Mrs Belikov,' Abe looked disturbed. 'Pavel. Would you fetch the other parcel?'

'Maybe Alberta sent suit-pants for you, too?' Rose whispered to Sydney, whose eyes widened in dismay.

'On the contrary...,' Abe accepted a large box from Pavel and shifted his attention to the young nurse.

'Mr Ivara wished me to present you with this gift as a sign of his deepest apologies and highest regards. He said that while he is fully aware he cannot buy your favour, he thought your riding habit would be soiled from the journey, and hoped you might feel more comfortable travelling home in fresh clothing befitting a woman of such elegance and taste as yourself.'

Miss Sage had been preparing to refuse the gift on principle, but when the box was opened, the heavenly creation hidden within nearly took her breath away. It was a stylish winter day dress made of the palest silk and trimmed in the most delicate black lacework money could buy. The cut was modest - but still feminine and chic - and the colour had been chosen to perfectly match with her complexion.

Sydney knew she probably should respond in some way, but she sat there, speechless; struggling to understand how such a considerate gesture could come from the same man who thought it was justifiable to kidnap the woman he claimed to love.

Abe took her silence for awed acceptance.

'I've taken the liberty of laying out the matching hat and coat on your bed, in case you'd like to wear them today,' he suggested, rising from the table to draw the conversation to a close.

'Ladies, if you are both finished with your breakfasts, Pavel will deliver your new outfits back to your room so you can prepare for departure. We each have a long road ahead of us, so the sooner we can set out, the better. Kindly meet me by my carriage when you are ready to leave.'

With no other option but to comply, Sydney and Rose soon found themselves standing outside in the brisk winter's air; the genteel lady and the strangely-curvaceous cowboy drawing curious and disapproving looks from the Mormon women who passed down the street on their morning errands.

'Look after yourself, Rose,' Sydney embraced her briefly, 'and don't forget to send a telegram if there's anything you need. There are a lot of people who care about you and we're all ready to help in any way we can.'

'Thank you… And you look after yourself too,' Rose countered. 'I know you've agreed to supply Mr Mazur with information about the war, but please don't do anything that will get you into trouble.' Her face grew stern, though there was a note of playfulness to her voice. 'I may be your friend, but I'm still an official of the law, and I'll be _very_ unimpressed if the next time we meet is through the bars of a military prison cell.'

Miss Sage winced, the possibility a little too real for comfort.

'Going to prison is definitely _not_ in my future plans,' she promised.

'That's good to hear,' the deputy smiled in approval, then cast a curious eye over the exquisite dress her friend was wearing. 'And Adrian?' she asked carefully. 'Is _he_ in your future plans?'

Looking down, Sydney clutched at the fabric of her skirt before letting it fall from her fingers in defeat.

'I honestly don't know.'

Rose looked at her sympathetically.

'Well, if there's one thing I've learnt over the past few weeks, it's that life is too short to waste... Of course, I'm not saying that you should rush blindly into a commitment with Mr Ivara,' she cautioned. 'Clearly, the man has some issues. But consider it this way - if Adrian makes you even _half_ as happy as Dimitri makes me, then maybe his faults shouldn't really matter?'

Surprise, confusion and vulnerability sweetened the nurse's features, but there was no opportunity for her to respond.

'Come, now, Miss Sage. Time is getting on and we must away,' Mr Mazur approached his charge, offering her his arm.

'Are you sure you'll be alright without me?' Sydney reached out to Rose instinctively. Now that the moment of parting had arrived, she was finding it difficult to leave. 'What if you need medical assistance?... What if you don't get on with Pavel?... What if...?'

'We'll be fine. Go!' Deputy Belikov laughed softly and waved her off.

'We'll be fine, cowboy,' she repeated under her breath, as she watched her friend disappear into the darkened interior of Mr Mazur's carriage. 'We'll be together soon, and everything will be fine.'

* * *

'Rosemarie?'

The deputy was moving off to join her new travelling companion at the horses when she was intercepted by her father.

'I don't mean to worry you, but there is something you must know before we part ways,' Abe stood close to her, his voice low and measured. 'The night your husband was taken I sent off several urgent telegrams in an effort to locate him - through official channels, and... _unofficial_ ones,' he paused meaningfully. 'I believe you are familiar with the name _Victor Dashley_?'

'You think Victor had something to do with Dimitri's abduction?' a feeling of panic fluttered in Rose's chest.

In Mr Dashley's eyes, she was the reason his daughter Natalie was dead, the reason he failed to marry Lisa and steal her fortune, and the reason he was currently serving the remainder of his days in a prison cell on Alcatraz Island. If anybody held a grudge against the Belikovs it was him.

The lawyer shook his head.

'Mr Dashley denies any involvement in your husband's disappearance, but he did mention something of immediate concern to you. The outlaw James Nathan is no longer in prison.'

'What?!' Rose gripped the gentleman's sleeve. 'That bastard took _dozens_ of lives! He nearly killed Dimitri in a shootout at the saloon last year! I thought they gave him a death sentence!'

A nerve twitched below Mr Mazur's left eye.

'So did I, but apparently Mr Nathan has friends in very high places. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment - to be served out in his home-state of Kentucky. Rumour has it, he was pardoned to take up a commission as an officer in the Confederate Army. I've spent the last week trying to locate him, but so far my sources have been unable to trace Nathan to a particular state or regiment.'

'But if Dimitri crosses paths with him...,' Rose worried aloud.

Abe took her by the shoulders.

'It's only a slim chance, but promise me you'll be careful. I'm aware that James Nathan once made threats to Dimitri regarding your safety. If he - or anybody else - hurts _my_ daughter...'

If Rose had been in any doubt that the man was truly her father, the raw emotion in his dark, flashing eyes was more than enough to convince her of the fact. Unfortunately for Abe, his daughter was not yet ready to accept that truth gracefully.

'If you're so concerned about my safety, _father_ , then why are you letting me go after Dimitri at all?' she said roughly. 'Why not just force me to return to Saint's Town like you're doing to Sydney. I thought a man like you would have no trouble making his daughter obey him.'

The love and hurt in Abe's expression made Rose want to look away, but he wouldn't let her.

'In all my life I've only had one regret, and that was losing _you_ ,' the man confessed. 'I might have ruined my chance at being your father, but you still have a chance of finding your husband and making your family whole again. I will not stand in the way of your happiness, Rosemarie. Never again.'

For so many years, Rose had told herself it didn't matter that her natural parents had abandoned her. Alberta's love was as good as theirs, and when Dimitri entered her life, his love filled up any last cracks and holes she'd been secretly carrying in her heart. But hearing her father admit aloud how much he'd missed her - and seeing the tenderness in his eyes - reopened those age-old wounds, and all Rose could do was squeeze her eyelids tightly shut as the knowledge of her father's love crept into her soul and soothed away years of childish hurts, fears and resentments.

'Godspeed, Deputy Belikov,' Abe leaned in to bestow a kiss of blessing on her forehead. 'I will strive to gather more information about your husband's whereabouts, and leave word for you at the telegraph office in Santa Fe if I hear anything. The rest is up to you and Pavel.'

Rose's eyes sprang open and she found herself looking to her father for reassurance.

'Do you think we'll find him soon?' her voice was strange and tight. 'I mean, I'll search for him for as long as it takes... it's just, I miss him so much sometimes...'

'You'll find him,' Mr Mazur told her, without any pomp or artifice. 'You'll find him like I found you.'

* * *

'Can't we go any faster?'

Rose had kept patiently to Pavel's side all morning, but they'd only covered eighteen miles in four hours. At this rate, they wouldn't reach Santa Fe for another fortnight.

Pavel looked over at her from atop his sturdy trail horse, drawing lightly on the reins in his left hand while his right hand rested by his knee to take up the slack.

He shook his head.

'But...'

The man only stared at her from beneath a bushy pair of eyebrows then continued on as steadily as before. If anything, he even slowed down a little.

Rose sighed in frustration but conceded to follow Pavel's lead. She knew why they couldn't rush. With every mile they distanced themselves from Las Vegas, the terrain was becoming more rugged and treacherous. If their horses were lamed slipping on the rocky mountain slopes that sprawled along this stretch of the northern New Mexico border, it would take them much, _much_ longer to get to Santa Fe by foot.

After another five hours of being pitched and jolted in the saddle, the deputy was glad when her guide slowed to a halt and dismounted.

'Do you want help building the fire?' she offered.

Pavel shook his head, tinder box already in hand.

'I'll get the tent set up, then,' Rose announced tiredly, and set about choosing the flattest site she could find to erect the shelter.

By the time she was done, the fire had been lit and a pot of water was on the boil, but Pavel was nowhere to be seen. To keep herself busy while she waited for him to return, Rose took an inventory of what was in her saddlebags. Before they'd left Las Vegas, one of Abe's men had restocked her food and water supplies, and added a few extra items to lift her spirits (a bag filled with sugar-coated almonds, dried apricots and various boiled sweets, and a tin of coffee with an aroma strong enough to knock your socks off).

Most of Deputy Belikov's personal items had been left behind to lighten the horses' load, leaving her with only two changes of underclothes, and a winter day-dress to wear when they finally returned to civilization. There was also a separate pack containing a spare knife, and ammunition for her pocket pistol and rifle (the rifle was stowed in a holster by the saddle, but Rose carried her favourite knife and pistol with her at all times - just to be on the safe side).

The deputy's final, much-prized possession was Sydney's medical satchel. 'To be used in case of emergency,' the nurse had told her, and Rose had an uncomfortable premonition that she would have need of it before her mission was through. Reaching for the medical bag now, she searched in one of the pockets until her fingers closed over a small, round object, which she took out to examine by the fire.

Abe's parting gift to his daughter had been an unusual glass bead; decorated on either side with an eye made from layered circles of blue and white. 'A token of good luck,' he'd explained.

Turning it over in the firelight, Rose sensed something unnervingly familiar about the pattern. She almost imagined she'd seen it somewhere before, but she couldn't quite catch hold of the memory.

Hearing Pavel returning, she gave up on the puzzle. Untying the ribbon from her hair, Rose threaded it though the hole in the bead and looped it around her neck; tucking the talisman into her blouse so it was nestled just behind the sheriff's badge pinned under her shirt-collar.

'That was fast!' she exclaimed softly, looking up to see Pavel approaching their campfire with a rabbit dangling limply by its hind legs.

The hunter shrugged in acknowledgement.

'Would you like a hand preparing dinner, Mr Pavel?' Rose asked, feeling restless and fidgety with nothing to do.

Pavel only responded by slapping the bunny down onto a rock by the fire, and slicing the blade of his knife around the animal's hocks. He tugged the skin down each leg and - after a few deft flicks of his knife - rid the creature of it's pelt more swiftly than a gentleman might remove his overcoat upon arriving at a dinner party. Splaying the carcass out on it's back, he cut a line up the middle of its belly to remove the entrails, then sliced off its head and skewered the whole carcass to be spit-roasted over the fire.

Apparently, he didn't need any help preparing dinner.

The two strangers ate in silence; Pavel's attention wholly focussed on eating his meal, while Rose snuck occasional glances at the man across the fire, fascinated by her father's choice of companion.

Pavel was at least ten years older than Abe. His beard was heavily salted with grey, but there was still a good showing of black in his long, finger-combed hair. With fringed buckskins clothing the man's lean, muscled frame, he could almost have passed for an Indian at a distance, though his paler colouring suggested he came from a European background.

While Pavel's eyes didn't have the same calculating gleam as Abraham Mazur's, they did hold an intelligence of their own. Life experience had given the older man a kind of common-sense wisdom, easily recognisable despite his silence. In less than the course of a day, he had already proven himself a competent rider, scout and hunter, and Deputy Belikov secretly admired the easy way he held his knife. Perhaps Rose should have been more concerned about camping alone in the wilderness with an armed, potentially dangerous man, but there was something about Pavel's solemn, solid presence that made her feel unexpectedly safe and secure.

'Do you mind if I have seconds?' Rose asked when she'd polished off her first helping of the rabbit meat - which was nowhere near as gamey or tough as it would have been if she had been the one cooking.

The man gestured to say she was welcome to have as much as she liked.

Rose bit back a groan of exasperation. Pavel might make her feel safe and secure, but the quality of his company left much to be desired. It was more fun travelling with Sydney Sage on her monthlies!

An hour later, the deputy decided there was no point trying get a response out of her brooding companion and she prepared to retire to her tent.

'Thank you for the meal, Mr Pavel. I'll take a few hours' sleep now, if that's alright with you, and you can wake me when it's my watch.'

Pavel nodded in agreement, watching her steadily from his place by the fire.

Suddenly, the silence was too much for Rose.

'Don't you _ever_ talk, Mr Pavel?' she demanded, a little rudely.

The old man raised a shaggy eyebrow.

'I was not aware you wished me to talk.'

Deputy Belikov stalled, surprised to hear his voice at last. It was deep and slightly raspy, but gentle and guileless - with a hint of an accent that was neither her father's or her husband's.

'Of course I wish you to speak, Mr Pavel,' she told him as soon as her initial surprise had passed. 'I don't know what kind of arrangement you had with my father, but when you're with me, you are welcome to speak your mind whenever you have something to say.'

'Thank you, ma'am,' he answered gruffly. 'Please just call me Pavel.'

'Good night, Pavel,' Rose gave him a small smile, then made her way to bed.

* * *

As the two travellers progressed eastward the next morning, they were met by the sound of flowing water. Cresting the top of the craggy mountain slope they'd been climbing, the brave and dauntless Deputy Belikov felt decidedly un-brave and more than a little daunted.

'You cannot be serious, Pavel!'

Their way was barred by a rocky cliff-face that fell away into a deep gorge. At the bottom of the ravine flowed a mighty torrent of water that could only be the Colorado River - swollen from the recent rains and swirling with heavy undercurrents that would wash away even the strongest swimmer.

'Do you trust me, ma'am?' Pavel squinted at her against the glare of the overcast, noonday sky.

Rose looked dubious.

'Are you certain there's no other way across?'

'Only if you want to travel another two-hundred miles to the next ford,' her guide informed her.

'I guess I trust you, then,' the deputy decided. 'Please lead the way.'

After a nightmarish descent - her knees clinging desperately to the saddle as they zig-zagged down the steep, crumbling walls of the gorge at wildly impossible angles - Rose had never been happier to reach level ground.

'If I was doing this for _anybody_ other than Dimitri, I'd...'

'You'd do it again in a heartbeat,' Pavel finished knowingly.

Now that the immediate danger was over, Rose felt her fear transform into a growing hum of excitement as she looked back up the cliff-face to see the way they'd come. It _was_ pretty exciting, she had to admit. Yes. She would definitely do that again.

'Once we cross the river and find our way up the other side, that's the worst of it over for a while,' her companion announced, edging his wary mount closer to the bank.

The feeling of caution returned as Deputy Belikov shifted her attention to the swift, icy waters of the Colorado River.

'I'm a good swimmer, but I don't think I'll be able to make it across in these clothes. This coat Abe gave me weighs a ton.'

It bothered her to admit she might be weaker than a fifty year old man – even if he _was_ the fittest old-timer she'd ever met - but there was no way she was getting herself drowned when Dimitri needed her alive and kicking.

'We won't be swimming, ma'am,' Pavel reassured her. 'I know a better way. Come.'

He lead them downstream fifty yards or so - until the narrow strip of riverbank widened slightly - and pointed to something set back from the water's edge.

It took Rose a few seconds to realise what she was looking at. It was a log-raft - stood up on its side and secured to a nearby rocky outcrop by a length of plaited rope - large enough to carry both them and their horses across the water.

'How did you…?'

'This isn't my first time crossing into New Mexico Territory, ma'am,' Pavel reminded her, and they both dismounted to drag the raft into the shallows.

The ascent up the other side of the gorge was just as gruelling as the downward journey had been. Rose's horse stumbled several times – once quite badly – and even Pavel looked relieved when they had put the Colorado River well behind them.

'Rain's coming,' the old man announced gruffly, when they stopped to make camp later that evening.

They worked together to set up their fire and shelter - finishing just in time for the first fat raindrops to fall.

Supper was rabbit again, and Rose was proud of herself when she managed to skin her kill nearly as quickly as Pavel did (though his was more neatly done). Volunteering to prepare a stew, the deputy set about her task at once - motivated by the increasing complaints from her empty stomach. After she'd added a generous pinch of spices to the mix, she returned to sit by her companion and pass the time until their meal was ready to eat.

'How did you know about that river crossing we took today?' she asked curiously, her cold-nipped fingers wrapped tightly around her coffee cup. 'I didn't realise my father's business interests would take him this far off the beaten track.'

Pavel added a dash of whiskey to his own mug before answering.

'I didn't always work for your father.'

'Oh?' Rose prompted. For some reason she'd assumed that Abe and Pavel had always been together.

'Fur.'

The man's use of language was annoyingly economical.

'You were in the fur trade? A mountain man?' the deputy enquired with renewed interest.

Alberta used to tell her stories about the reclusive wild-men who wandered the Colorado Rockies in the hunting season and didn't emerge again until summer, when they came into town to sell their pelts. They were renowned for their Hawken rifles and Bowie knives and drinking too much whiskey. Naturally, Rose had always wanted to meet one.

'I suppose you could call me that,' he shrugged. 'I worked for the South West Company - trapping beaver, mostly. Living in the wilderness for fifteen years, you learn your way around.'

'Is that how you met that Indian that Sydney and I bumped into on the trail south to Las Vegas? Tadiw...,' Rose struggled with the pronunciation. 'Tad.'

'Taduwidetsihi,' he nodded. 'I've had close dealings with a few Indians over the years. Town-folk say they're _hostile savages_ \- after the scalps of every white settler in the west - but not all of them are like that. I owe my life to Taduwidetsihi three times over. And Black Beaver as well.'

'Black Beaver?' Rose thought she'd heard the name before. Maybe Christian had mentioned him at some point.

Pavel leaned forward and prodded at the fire with the metal head of his hatchet - a crumbling piece of wood collapsing in two and sending a sudden flurry of sparks hurtling upwards into the dark, cloud-cloaked sky.

'From the Lenape tribe, originally,' he explained. 'Everybody out here knows him. He started out as a fur trader like me, then worked as a guide and interpreter for white folk crossing Indian lands to settle in the west. It's thanks to him that so many settlers and military expeditions made it safely to their destinations. Me included.'

A thought came to the deputy's mind.

'Did you use sign language to communicate with one-another or did you speak in English?'

She was wondering if she should ask Pavel to give her some extra tutoring with her signing. Christian's lessons last week felt like an age ago.

'French actually.'

'You speak French?!' Rose baulked.

Pavel stiffened, aware he'd revealed more than he intended to.

'My wife was French-Canadian,' he mumbled, then got up to stir the stew.

It was clear that Mrs Pavel was not a welcome topic of discussion.

They ate in silence as they had the first night, but when Rose announced she was going to bed, her pensive companion called for her to wait.

'I nearly forgot,' he reached for the buffalo leather bag that was never far from his side; passing over a selection of knives, buckshot pellets, and several mysterious leather pouches, to locate a folded piece of paper. 'Mr Mazur said this was for you. To keep your spirits up. Sorry it's a few days late.'

The woman frowned suspiciously as she unfolded the note, but her heart sung in her chest when she read the words printed there. It was a telegram from Lisa; addressed to the telegraph office in Las Vegas, and dated Monday, November 18th, 1861. Two days ago.

 _DEAREST ROSE (STOP) I HOPE THIS MESSAGE FINDS YOU SAFE AND WELL (STOP) IF YOU ARE READING THIS THEN YOU AND MISS SAGE WILL HAVE ALREADY PARTED WAYS WITH CHRISTIAN (STOP) IF MY HUSBAND MISBEHAVED ON THE JOURNEY PLEASE TELL ME AND I WILL DEVISE A SUITABLE PUNISHMENT FOR WHEN HE GETS HOME (STOP) SPEAKING OF COMING HOME - I MISS YOU (STOP) DO YOU HAVE ANY NEWS OF DIMITRI (STOP) DEPUTY BELIKOVA WANTS ME TO TELL YOU SHE BROKE HER FIRST NOSE LAST FRIDAY BUT SHE IS STILL WORKING ON THE HEARTS - WHATEVER THAT IS SUPPOSED TO MEAN (STOP) BABY STARTED KICKING TODAY (STOP) I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A BOY (STOP) LOVE (STOP) LISA (STOP)_

Rose looked up from the page and caught Pavel watching her with a strange expression in his blue-grey eyes.

'Thank you,' she whispered, before hurrying into the tent with her unexpected treasure to read it again and again for as long as her tired eyes allowed.

When the deputy finally gave in to sleep, the telegram was still clutched in her fingers, and that night she dreamed of home.

* * *

There may have been no marked trail from Las Vegas to Santa Fe, but Pavel knew exactly where he was going. Another steady day's ride brought them to a place where the mountains began to smooth out in to gentler slopes, and by lunchtime the following day, Pavel informed his charge that they would soon be entering desert country.

'We'll be in Hopi territory by tomorrow, but the land we're standing on now is still controlled by Apache and Navajo. It's best we don't stay here long. Take care of your needs and we'll move on.'

He dismounted, disappearing behind a bush to relieve himself, and Rose followed suit. Lunch was replaced with an uninspiring cup of cold-flour - water mixed with a spoonful of cornflour, cinnamon, and sugar - and they set out again promptly to cover as much ground as possible before the sun went down.

When they did finally make camp for the night, they'd covered nearly sixty miles - an impressive distance considering the wet and dreary conditions.

'So tell me...,' Deputy Belikov started her interrogation as soon as the supper was cooking. 'Why did you give up being a mountain man to work for my father?' she asked, trying to distract herself from the depressing realisation that today officially marked two weeks since she been separated from Dimitri.

Pavel paused from stirring the dinner over the fire and glanced back at her with steady, blue-grey eyes.

'Because of you.'

Rose gripped her coffee cup tightly, frowning as she tried to push through the fog of her earliest memories.

'Did I know you... back then?' she asked uncertainly.

The mountain man finished tinkering with their dinner then took up his place by the woman's side, his own coffee in hand.

'No.'

He lifted the tin mug to his nose and inhaled deeply.

Rose didn't have the patience to wait for him tonight.

'For the love of God, Pavel. Just tell me what happened!'

He lifted an eyebrow and took a moment to gather his thoughts.

'I met your father in the summer of '47. The fur trade was slowing down and paid work was hard to come by. I'd ridden into St Louis, Missouri hoping to find a buyer for my pelts when I met Mr Mazur. He told me his expanding business interests in Memphis had become a threat to his family and he wanted to hire a man to protect his young daughter. A man who knew his way around a knife and wasn't afraid to use it.'

The deputy grew very still.

'I agreed to take the job, but when we arrived at the Mazur residence three weeks later, you and your mother were gone.'

'My mother?'

A look of pity came over Pavel's face when he heard the longing in her voice.

'Mrs Mazur left a note with a neighbour - told your father that the life he was providing was no longer suitable for a child, and that she was going to make a new start for the both of you. She urged him not to follow after her, but Abraham Mazur is not the type of man who takes orders easily. He left his whole empire behind to go in search of you and your mother, and I went with him. We tracked you both as far as a town on the Oregon Trail, then lost all trace of you.'

'Your father was inconsolable. He blamed himself for letting his business affairs come between him and the two people he loved most. He was like a man possessed - travelling from settlement to settlement trying to find you. Then, one year from the day your mother took you away, he came to me and said it was time to stop looking. Janine thought you were safer without him, and she was probably right. Instead of returning to Memphis, Mr Mazur invited me to head west with him and seek our fortune in California. We struck it lucky in the California Gold Rush, and within a few years your father had risen to be one of the most influential men in San Francisco.'

Rose stirred, the loss of her father setting an ache in her throat.

'He was that close to Saint's Town all along? Why didn't he find me?'

Pavel looked her directly in the eye.

'He did find you. It just took him a bit longer than he'd hoped.'

They ate quietly after that, and Rose lost herself in the silence; thinking about everything she'd learned about her parents; imagining what her life might have been like if she'd never been separated from her father; wondering what had become of her mother.

'What is it?' the deputy looked up when her dinner plate was empty and noticed that Pavel was gazing at something off in the distance. 'Smoke? Indians?' she was instantly on the alert.

The mountain man shook his head.

'I'm looking at the stars.'

Deputy Belikov took her hand off the holster of her pistol, feeling confused and a little annoyed.

'But you can't see any stars. It's cloudy.'

'Doesn't matter,' he shrugged. 'I know where they are.'

Rose peered up at the sky, trying to imagine where the constellations lay.

'So what are you looking at, exactly?' she asked, curious despite herself.

Pavel remained silent for a full minute before answering.

'It doesn't have a proper name, but my wife used to call it Claire's star...'

He fell quiet again, his jaw clenching as he glanced indecisively at the girl beside him.

The deputy didn't interrupt.

'The winter before I met Mr Mazur,' Pavel stared into the campfire, 'I came home from the mountains and there was nobody waiting for me. Cholera had taken half the town, including my wife and daughter. Claire was only eight years old.'

He blinked once or twice before continuing.

'When she... _left_ , there was nothing I could do to bring her back. But it was different for your father,' he turned to Rose. 'When he asked me to help search for you, it was like I was being given a chance to find my own girl again... I'm sorry it took me so long to get to you, ma'am, but I'm mighty glad to be helping you now.'

He looked away again quickly, as if he was embarrassed for being so forward.

Rose took a few seconds to calm her breathing, knowing an emotional scene would only spook her quiet companion.

'I'm glad you're here too, Pavel,' she answered truthfully, smiling softly when he caught her gaze. 'Maybe...,' the deputy's focus wandered to the sky just above the eastern horizon. 'Maybe one night you can show me Claire's star? I'd like to see it.'

The old man's grey eyes shone with pride.

'It would be my honour.'

* * *

Friday was overcast but the clouds held back their rain, which put Rose in good spirits.

'So what's your other name?' she asked her companion when they slowed to a walk to rest the horses.

'Hmm?'

The monosyllabic responses had returned.

'You go by _Pavel_ , but is that your surname or your Christian name?'

'Surname,' he replied.

Rose imagined she saw a twinkle in the man's eyes, like he was amused by her impatience.

'Well Mr Pavel, if it's not too rude a question, what is your other name?' she pressed him for an answer.

'Marian.'

A giggle choked out from the deputy's throat. 'As in _Maid_ Marian - from Robin Hood?'

She didn't hear him answer because the horse beside her screamed. Rose watched on in horror as Pavel slumped forward in the saddle, clutching at an arrow that had planted itself in his shoulder. A second arrow was lodged in the base of his horse's neck, and in its distress the beast reared up on its hind legs - losing balance and pitching sideways. When the animal hit the ground, Pavel's leg was pinned beneath it.

Indians! They were under attack!

Ignoring the sound of hoof-beats advancing from the north, Rose leapt from the saddle and rushed to her companion's side; grabbing Sydney's medical bag and scrabbling for a bandage to press against the bleeding arrow wound.

'Stay still,' she commanded. 'I can fix this.'

Pavel shoved her away roughly with his good arm.

'They're coming. Get away from here. You mustn't let them take you.'

Stifling a groan of pain, he shifted to retrieve a massive knife from his belt and looked past Rose to assess their enemy. Two Indians - but clearly not the friendly kind.

'I won't leave you,' the deputy argued.

She reached out to him again, but even gravely wounded Pavel managed to swat her away.

'Mr Mazur told me to protect you,' he growled - annoyed she wouldn't listen to reason.

'Mr Mazur isn't here!' she glared right back at him.

The man's face was taut with pain, but there was no weakness or fear in his eyes.

'I've waited fifteen years to protect you, girlie. Let me do my damn job... Get out of here. _Now_!' he ordered.

Rose frowned tightly but obeyed; dashing for shelter behind a nearby clump of low lying bushes and cocking her pistol. Pavel might want her out of sight, but that didn't mean she couldn't cover him from here.

'Take what you want,' Pavel called out when the horsemen approached, his voice sounding raspier than usual. 'Just leave my boy alone.'

The Indians did not respond.

The taller of the two made straight for Rose's horse. Once he'd secured its reins to his own mount, he nocked an arrow to the string of his bow and began scanning his surroundings for any sign of movement in the bushes.

Meanwhile, the younger, thicker-chested brave sprung down from his horse's back and padded silently towards the man on the ground, a tomahawk clutched loosely in his hand.

'Helpless old pale-skin,' he leered in his own language, leaning over the injured man and grabbing a fistful of his hair. 'Are you ready to meet your forefathers?'

Pavel met his attacker's gaze without flinching.

'Not yet, my friend.'

Summoning every last ounce of energy, he drove his Bowie knife up into the unsuspecting man's chest.

The Indian looked surprised as he toppled forward, and his dying cry of indignation drew the attention of his friend.

Turning swiftly, the archer raised his bow and took aim for Pavel's heart - but in the half-second it took him to draw back on the string, Deputy Belikov fired off a shot from her pistol. The native's arrow went wild and he fell backwards from his horse without uttering a sound. He came to rest on his back; staring blindly up at the grey skies above, with a bullet hole between his eyes.

Less than a minute later, Rose was knelt by Pavel's side. Her eyes darted from the horse - its lifeblood spilt on the ground around them - to the man who had waited over a decade for the chance to protect her.

'You did good, kid,' he smiled weakly, his breathing laboured from the exertion of talking.

The arrow had pierced his lung. He didn't have long to go.

Tears glistened in the deputy's eyes.

'I'm sorry I laughed at your name, Marian. It's a very fine name.'

'Don't feel bad about that, girlie,' Pavel wheezed. 'At least my parents didn't go with my father's first suggestion.'

'What was that?' Rose couldn't help being a little curious.

'Pavel,' he answered, grinning widely.

'He wanted to call you Pavel Pavel?' the deputy was crying, but her lips formed a wobbly grin.

'It was the one word he knew how to spell,' the dying man brayed with laughter, until a fit of coughing overtook him.

Rose's moment of joy evaporated.

'How can I ease your suffering?' she implored him, squeezing his broad, coarse fingers.

He looked up at her, his eyes dull with pain but his face calm.

'Go find that husband of yours and have a happy life... And tell Abe I did my best to look after his girl... Now I've done my job, I'm happy to go. My Claire's been waiting for me a long time...'

He smiled a sad, soft smile, and that was the expression that remained on Pavel's face when the spirit departed from his body.

Deputy Belikov sagged in grief, clinging to the man's hand tightly until she remembered she couldn't stay here. Others might have heard the gunfire and come to investigate. She had to leave.

* * *

Rose travelled on alone. She made camp alone. She ate alone, she slept alone, she awoke alone, and she travelled on again, alone.

She thought the silence would make her feel lonely, but Pavel had taught her that the state of quietness was not simply a lack of noise. It was having an awareness of things usually unnoticed. Rose saw movements in the undergrowth and thought about the wild animals that might be scurrying beneath. She saw strange peaks rising up from the desert - painted with wide bands of lavender, red and grey - and wondered what importance they had to the Hopi people who'd lived on these lands for generations. She saw clouds and imagined the stars behind them.

Unfortunately, Rose never saw the thing that bit her.

All she remembered was a burning feeling near her ankle, and a strange, light-headed sensation that made her want to lie down at once. But she knew she couldn't lie down, or she might fall asleep in this strange, beautiful desert and never wake up again. She couldn't let that happen. She needed to find Dimitri.

The deputy mounted her horse and pushed eastward. When her stomach began to writhe and knot, she paused to purge herself of the vile humours then carried on. When the shaking started, she lashed herself to the saddle so she wouldn't fall. In the end, she lolled weakly in her seat and let her horse follow after the shifting creature that seemed to be guiding them through the endless desert. Sometimes it looked like Pavel. At other times, an Indian scout with raven hair. A black beaver appeared at one point, later turning into a bouncing cottontail bunny, and then a beautiful, golden-skinned woman.

On the third day, the horse stopped. They had found a stream.

Rose struggled weakly with the knotted ropes that bound her and slid from the saddle; dropping to her knees by the water and scooping cold, life-giving water into her mouth and over her face.

'I'm coming, Dimitri,' she spoke the words aloud to remind herself she was alive. 'I'm going to make it.'

'I'm waiting, Roza,' the wind whispered in her ear, and she dragged herself up out of the water and onto her horse once more.

When the rain started again next morning, Rose began to shiver. She didn't feel violently ill like when she'd been bitten. It was more of a creeping tiredness that stiffened her joints and chilled her bones, until eventually her mind fell into a strange delirium.

A tent was up ahead. A man was crouched beside his campfire, tending to something above the flames, and a woman with dark hair and golden-brown skin stood at the entrance of the shelter, looking westward. When she saw the rider approaching, she walked purposefully towards her; taking the horse's reins and offering a hand to help the bedraggled traveller down from her saddle.

Rose pushed the mirage away. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted by this pleasant delusion. She had to get to Dimitri.

'Stop fighting, Rose. Don't struggle,' the woman urged, holding her firmly by the shoulders and looking intently into her eyes.

The deputy paused at the sound of her name, her breathing quick and shallow.

'Calm down, dear. You're safe now,' the angel told her. 'My name is Susana. This is my husband Mark. We've been waiting for you.'

Rose fainted.

* * *

.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 ** _It's been ages, but I promise I'm doing the best I can with the time I've got available. I have something really nice planned for Chapter 9 - not so much doom & gloom so that's something to look forward to :)_**

 ** _Sydney – Did you expect Sydney's confession about stabbing Keith Darnell? (based on Bloodlines, but I've changed the details quite a bit). Hopefully things will work out for her when she returns home to Adrian/her old nursing job._**

 ** _Pavel – I'm sorry to kill off a character we are only just getting to know, but Pavel doesn't mind. He's been Abe's friend for a long time and if he had to die he would have wanted to do that protecting Rose. [If you haven't already seen it on my Pinterest page, google 'Mountain Man Ron Kebic' to see one of my favourite visual references for Pavel]_**

 ** _Black Beaver - He's a real historical figure. Read up on him if you want to - he's pretty awesome!_**

 ** _Abe – Did you like the Abe/Rose interactions? I don't think they would be great buddies straight away, so I'm giving them room to grow closer together with time._**

 ** _Rose – This is Rose's lowest point. She's been tested to her limits and she has prevailed. Now that she's proven how strong her will is to survive for Dimitri, it's all looking up from here & Rose's newest buddy Susana (Oksana!) is going to help her in an unexpected way. _**


	9. An Open Heart

**_What? It didn't take me a month to post this time? It's a miracle!_**

 ** _I've got some really cool surprises in store for Rose this chapter - I hope you like them :)_**

* * *

 **9\. An Open Heart**

Rose opened her eyes.

She was lying on a low cot bed, tucked in tightly beneath several layers of blankets. The room was dark, except for a single candle that winked and flickered on the bedside table, and the only other object she could recognise was the dim outline of a crucifix hanging on the opposite wall.

Blinking through the sluggish, heavy feeling in her head, Rose tried to sit but her body did not obey. Everything ached. Her breathing felt hampered. A cough tickled in the back of her throat and her hand flew to protect the tender muscles in her stomach and sides. Why did it feel like she'd been trampled by a stampede of buffalo?

Her initial confusion quickly turned to alarm as memories of the ill-fated journey from Las Vegas came filtering back to her. Pavel was dead. She was alone and severely weakened - with no idea where she was, who had brought her here, or what they wanted with her.

The deputy's first instinct was to reach for her gun, but when she managed to turn back the covers she discovered, to her dismay, that she was dressed in somebody else's clothing. Her suit and gun-belt were gone, replaced by a simple shift made from a scratchy, white material that pulled uncomfortably across her chest and hips.

Renewing her attempts to rise, she was planning to use the wooden crucifix on the wall as an improvised escape weapon, when a soft scraping noise sounded off to her left. Somebody was opening the door.

'Who are you, and where the hell are my clothes?!' Rose demanded hoarsely as soon as the stranger entered - more angry than afraid.

A middle-aged woman crossed the room and came to hover by the bedside, smoothing her hand over the invalid's forehead.

'Hush, _corazoncita_ ,' she murmured several endearments in Spanish; her voice low in pitch, but light and musical in its phrasing. 'Welcome back. You've been sleeping a long time. My name is Susana Wiley and this is my home. Do you remember how you got here?'

'No, I don't!' Rose was about to snap, but she hesitated when she caught sight of the lady's face in the candlelight.

Dark, kind eyes - slightly hooded at the corners - looked down on her from a backdrop of smooth, golden-brown skin. The lines around her lips suggested she smiled more often than she frowned, and her jet-black hair was parted in the middle and braided into two plaits that wound together at the nape of her neck. Her Mexican ancestry was clear, with, perhaps, a hint of Indian heritage as well.

'I think I saw you yesterday... In the desert?' the deputy replied uncertainly.

'Oh, _pobrecita_ ,' Susana shook her head in sympathy. 'That was not yesterday. My husband and I found you wandering twenty miles east of the Painted Desert and brought you to our home here in Santa Fe. That was four days ago.'

'Four days?' Rose felt her anxiety climbing and willed herself to sit up, despite her body's complaints. 'I have to leave. Somebody needs me... My husband, Dimitri Belikov...'

She tried to swing her legs over the edge of the bed but Susana touched her lightly on the shoulder, her gaze warm and reassuring.

'I know, dear one. The Russian told me you might come. That's how I knew to look for you.'

Rose's heart jumped into her mouth.

'You spoke to him? He was here?' she asked, knocking the woman's shawl askew as she grabbed her arm.

'In this very bed,' the older woman answered calmly, ignoring the flood of half-formed questions and demands that followed. 'Now, if you are well enough to walk, let me help you dress. Today is Sunday, the first of December. We must go to church and light a candle to Saint Christopher - to give thanks for your safe arrival. After that, we will eat. And _then_ we will talk.'

The next hour felt surreal. Rose had been to church nearly every Sunday of her life, but sitting in the San Miguel Mission chapel was nothing like Reverend Mastrano or Reverend Karp's services. There was incense and candles. Religious paintings and icons covered the white-washed, mud-and-straw walls, and the cross on the altar table was not empty but had a small Christ-figure hanging at its centre. The parishioners stood and sat, recited responses in Latin, and after the service, Mexican women in towering lace veils came to greet Susana and her mysterious guest in their native Spanish tongue.

Lunch at the Wiley household turned out to be a public affair with two other couples from the church attending, and it wasn't until the guests had left that Deputy Belikov finally got the opportunity to broach the topic of Dimitri.

'Where is he?' she asked bluntly, physical tiredness and heartsickness making her more irritable than usual.

Susana exchanged glances with her husband - a softly-spoken Irishman who looked old enough to be her father, not her mate - and Mark Wiley excused himself to read a book in the adjoining room.

As soon he was gone, Mrs Wiley pulled her chair closer to Rose and her face grew stern.

'A week ago, two... _unpleasant_ men came to my door seeking help for their injured comrade,' she explained. 'The Russian cowboy I treated never told me his name, but I am certain he was your Dimitri.'

'Help? Treated?' Rose frowned, confused. 'Are you a doctor?'

'Of sorts. A curandera. Doctors use medicine to heal the body from the outside in. I heal souls from the inside out.'

The deputy looked sceptical.

'And did you?... Heal him, I mean?'

'I patched up his physical wounds, yes,' Susana confirmed, 'but he did not stay long enough for me to treat the root of the problem. I urged him to stay and rest until he was properly recovered, but he refused in no uncertain terms. He said his companions saved his life, and he would not part ways with them until he'd repaid the debt he owed. I admit, I was too afraid to argue with him.'

Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. Those men kidnapped Dimitri when he was mortally wounded, and he thought he owed them something for saving his life?! How could he possibly believe that those thieves and murderers deserved his loyalty?

'Did he say where they were headed next?' she asked tightly. 'Did he tell you _anything_ at all that might help me find him?'

Susana's dark brows drew together in sympathy.

'I'm sorry, my darling. I tried to get him talking, but he was very guarded. I only learned of you because I saw the wedding band on his finger and asked if there was someone waiting for him back at home.'

The younger woman held her breath. With everything that had happened since the attack at the barn, she wasn't even sure if Dimitri would still remember her.

'Yes, he remembered you,' Susana read her thoughts. 'He said his Roza wasn't the type to wait at home, and he expected you would come searching for him.' A look of apology crossed her face. 'He also said if you _did_ follow after him, I should tell you that he doesn't need your help and he will return home as soon as his mission is over.'

Rose punched the table in frustration - albeit a little weakly. How dare Dimitri turn her away? She was his wife _and_ his deputy. He very clearly needed her help and she was damn-well going to give it to him - whether he wanted it or not!

'Perhaps you'd like to return to your room and rest,' Susana suggested tactfully, waving her husband away when he appeared in the doorway to check that everything was alright. 'Come, _pobrecita_. Lean on me.'

The last thing Rose wanted to do was rest, but when she felt a strong, comforting arm wrap around her shoulders, she leant heavily into the embrace and allowed herself to be led back to her bedroom. The journey from Las Vegas had taken a greater toll on her body than she'd first imagined, and there was no way she would be able to set out after Dimitri today.

* * *

It was dark when she woke again.

'Susana? Mrs Wiley?' the deputy called, sitting up stiffly in bed and rubbing her eyes.

In less than a minute, Susana was at her bedside; pressing a cup of herbal tea into her hands.

'I'm feeling better,' Rose lied, pushing the drink away. 'Can you have my horse and belongings prepared? I wish to leave at once.'

The older woman watched her patient steadily.

'My dear, brave girl. You are not going anywhere until I say you are fit to leave.'

Anger flared in the deputy's eyes.

'I'll leave as soon as I damn well want to.'

Susana Wiley came across as a gentle soul, but she wasn't the least bit cowed by Rose's outburst.

'Are you _hoping_ to die before you find your husband, Mrs Belikov?...'

'Of course not,' Rose glowered, trying and failing to supress a cough.

'...Because that is what will happen if you set out in this weather with your chest so weak - not to mention the fact that it's already well past sundown and you'll need to make a visit to the general store to restock your supplies before you go anywhere... Of course, if you _really_ want to leave I cannot stop you, but please... trust me. Stay. Let me help you get better, and then you can go with my blessing - and with any help that is in my power to provide.'

'But it might take me weeks to fully recover,' the invalid argued. 'You expect me to just lie here in bed and stop trying to find Dimitri?'

Susana tilted her head.

'Lie in bed, yes. But I never said you should stop trying to find Dimitri. The truth is, I can...'

'You can _what_?!'

Rose sat up straighter against the pillows, looking at Susana like she'd gone completely mad.

'I can access the spirit-world to help you find your husband,' the woman repeated calmly.

'I don't believe you,' Rose shook her head.

Yeva's visions and Aunt Rhonda's fortune telling were mumbo jumbo enough, but this claim was beyond ridiculous.

Susana shrugged. 'Well, how else do you think you made it safely through the desert in your condition. I used the spirits to find you. I walked ahead of you and showed you the way.'

A memory flashed through Rose's mind - a shifting figure that kept her company while she was lashed to the saddle; too weak to even keep hold of the reins.

'But how is that even possible?' she found her voice at last. 'I don't underst-...'

'By the grace of God above and Mother Earth below,' the Mexican woman smiled softly, appearing much older and much younger at the same time. 'When we remove all negativity from our heart and attune ourselves to the natural rhythms of the world around us, new paths become open to us. I have been practicing my art for close to twenty years and I have seen many things unknown to others - wisdom, power, wonders. I believe the spirits led me to you for a reason, child. I believe they want me to lead you to your missing husband.'

Rose stared long and hard at the quilt that covered her legs - trying to make sense of this new and disconcerting revelation - but when she looked up again there was a determined expression in her eyes.

'Teach me,' she said quietly. 'I don't even know if what you say is possible, but if you think this... _spirit magic_ can help me find Dimitri, then I'm willing to give it a shot.'

'It is not something I can teach you to do yourself, child,' Susana qualified, 'at least, not in the short time we have - but if you are prepared to invest a few weeks with me to strengthen yourself in body, mind and spirit, then I believe we have a good chance of learning what has become of your husband. Are you willing to try?'

A few weeks? Rose's heart dropped. That was practically a lifetime! But it wasn't like she had any other leads to go on at the moment and she doubted she'd even be able to cover ten miles a day in her current state of health. She didn't have anything to lose.

'When do we start?' the deputy grimaced bravely.

Susana's face brightened.

'There is no better time than the present. Tonight is a new moon. An auspicious time to begin a new spiritual journey. Tomorrow we will perform the _Limpia_ ceremony to cleanse your spirit and prepare it for the challenges ahead, but tonight I will teach you to pray. The spirits will welcome you more easily if your heart is open and free of darkness.'

The curandera walked to a table set up beneath the crucifix on the wall and lit a thick candle that was set at its centre, inviting her student to join her.

Rose came to stand close-by; watching on as the woman sprinkled a scented mix of herbs, flowers and tobacco over the altar table, then placed four stones that looked like hewn arrow heads around the candle - pointing to the north, south, east and west.

'Creator above, Mother Earth below, Heart within and Guiding Spirits in all directions,' Susana began, her gaze on the candle's flame. 'I thank you for this child you have brought to into my home, and pray that you bring her the wisdom, patience and courage she needs to find what she has lost.'

Susana remained quiet for a few moments then turned to the girl behind her.

'Now it's your turn. Remember... above, below, within, around, then give thanks for whatever you can - no matter how small.'

She left the room before the novice could ask any unnecessary questions or refuse to participate in the exercise.

Rose took a deep breath and stepped up to the altar table, then moved quickly back again. Alberta had raised her a Protestant and even though she wasn't a staunch believer in Jesus Christ, she couldn't help feeling like she was doing something sacrilegious. She looked at the candle warily, as if demons were about to leap from the dancing shadows it cast, then finally pulled herself together. Deputy Belikov was not afraid of a candle, or evil spirits for that matter. And if this was some kind of blasphemous act, she'd happily face any punishment God could bring down on her if it meant she had a chance at finding Dimitri.

Walking up to the altar, she stared into the pure, bright flame and concentrated on emptying her mind of all her fears and worries.

'Creator above, Mother Earth below, Heart within and Guiding Spirits in all directions. Thank you for...'

She was going to say _Dimitri_ , but the anxiety about his current situation made her lose focus on the prayer. Next, she tried to give thanks for Pavel but the sadness of his passing nearly overwhelmed her. She felt guilty that she hadn't thought of Lisa even once since she'd arrived in Santa Fe, and when Sydney popped into her mind, it only reminded her of Adrian Ivara's self-centred behaviour... and how she wished she'd had more time to spend with her father before they parted ways in Las Vegas. Alberta would not have been impressed at being included in a heathen prayer - neither would the Belikova women, she suspected - and thinking back to happier childhood memories just reminded her that her dear friend Mason was no longer alive.

In the end, she settled on a prayer she never dreamed she would utter in her life.

'...Thank you for Christian O'Hara.'

Tears of gratefulness sprang to her eyes as she thought back to their journey south; the times he had tried to make her laugh, and the times he was just there to listen.

'...And thank you for the pants Alberta got me,' Rose added as an afterthought. 'I probably wouldn't have made it through that last ride in a dress, so... yeah. Christian and pants.'

She waited a few seconds, wondering what was meant to happen next, then muttered a half-hearted _Amen_ and blew out the candle.

With nothing better to do, she returned to bed and silently mulled over her decision to remain in Santa Fe instead of pursuing Dimitri right away - and although nothing had changed in the physical world, a small corner of her soul felt the tiniest bit lighter.

* * *

At midday the next day Rose participated in her first spiritual cleansing ritual. While a part of her mind found the whole process absurd, she had to admit that she did feel more positive about her situation as the afternoon wore on.

'So can we start our search for Dimitri yet?' she asked as soon as the evening meal was over - eager to begin their real lessons.

Mr Wiley stood from his place at the head of the table; patting his wife on the arm and retreating to his comfortable chair - newspaper in hand - so the ladies could continue their talk in privacy.

'First things first,' Susana began. 'Have you said your prayers today?'

Rose nodded. The first time it had been difficult to find anything to be grateful for, but today she kept finding things that made her feel thankful. Her life. Her horse. The fact she'd made it this far despite the dangers on the road, and that the Wileys had agreed to feed, clothe and house her for the duration of her recovery - with no mention of payment or debt.

'Then you should be ready to move on to the next step,' the curandera smiled, indicating for them to shift their chairs across to the fireplace and sit facing one another. 'To find your husband, I am going to teach you a form of meditation that will help you connect with the spirit-world and look inside yourself for answers.'

The deputy's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Susana was a nice enough lady, but surely there was no way this mumbo-jumbo was actually going to work.

'This skill does not come easily for most beginners,' Rose's mentor continued sternly. 'When we meditate, our emotions are amplified by the spirits that guide us. These feelings can be so overwhelming at first, that many novices find they can only remain in the spirit-state for a short time. Looking for Dimitri will require great strength and control from you, so before we can do that we will start with some basic exercises to help you adjust to the new sensations. If you feel uncomfortable at _any_ time, please tell me and we will stop for a rest. Do you understand?'

'I'm sure I'll be fine,' Rose nodded, keeping her reservations to herself.

'Very well,' Susana leaned forward and took her student's hands in her own. 'Close you eyes. Empty your mind. Focus only on that feeling of gratitude you sensed during your prayers. And follow my instructions...'

'How will I know when it's working?' the deputy cracked an eye open, feeling self-conscious.

'You'll know when it happens.'

It took a while for Rose to calm her thoughts, and even longer for her to find the state of gratitude she had experienced earlier, but she knew the exact moment that 'it' happened. Without warning, all tension slipped from her body. Her joints felt loose and comfortable, a prickling feeling crept up from her neck and over her head like tendrils of liquid light - sweet and refreshing - and something behind her eyes and deep within her ears seemed to open; like a flower unfurling to greet the sun.

'That's it, darling. Stay here,' Susana spoke softly, feeling the girl's hands relax in her grip. 'Now think of a memory from when you were a little child. A memory that makes you feel safe and happy. Take me there.'

Without any conscious effort on her part, Rose found herself standing outside a large, wooden ranch-house. Susana was nowhere to be seen, but there were several other people waiting close-by - seemingly unaware of Rose's presence - and a carriage was coming up the driveway towards them. A broad-shouldered woman alighted from the driver's seat and Rose couldn't help beaming. It was Alberta. She looked so much younger; slimmer and sporting a head of such magnificent sandy hair that Rose actually laughed aloud. She really did turn Alberta grey!

There wasn't time to dwell on that much-loved face, however, because Sheriff Peterson moved to open the carriage door and leaned inside.

'Rosemarie? Where are you, child. Come here this moment!'

Grown-up Rose bit back a chuckle as a tiny version of herself climbed out the window on the opposite side of the carriage and swung down to the ground - landing on all-fours like a cat then dusting her hands off on the white apron she wore over her dress.

'Why did you have to bring me here?' little Rose demanded when she'd rounded the front of the carriage. 'I don't need to go to school. I already know everything I need to know anyways.'

'It's _anyway_ , not _anyways_ ,' Alberta corrected her, swiping at the dirtied apron with her handkerchief. 'Now, child, try not to make an embarrassment of yourself on your first day. Mind your P's and Q's, and for goodness sake, don't play any tricks on Madam Kiroy. She's a proper lady and won't take kindly to your particular sense of humour.'

Little Rose pouted, but conceded to follow her new foster-mother towards the welcoming party outside the house.

'Doctor Draymore, Mrs Draymore,' Sheriff Peterson announced gruffly. 'This is my girl, Rose. I hope she won't be too much of an inconvenience to...'

A small figure pushed forward from behind her mother's skirts, and Grown-up Rose felt tears come to her eyes as the blonde girl stepped forward - so neat and pretty in her blue gingham dress and white pinafore she almost looked like a doll.

'How do you do, Rose. My name's Lisa. We're going to be best friends. Do you want some molasses candy?' she fished in her pinafore pocket for a finger-length strap of sugary, black candy, which appeared to have already been sucked at one end.

'You betcha!' Little Rose grinned, accepting the friendship offering and crunching off a huge bite. 'Share?' she mumbled, holding it out for the other girl to take a turn.

Little Lisa smiled back at her new playfellow and took a dainty nibble before handing the remainder of the treat back to Rose.

'Thanks!' Little Rose stuffed the rest of it into her already overflowing mouth and took Lisa's small hand in her own. 'I like your ranch, Lis. You got any good climbing trees?'

Back in Susana's kitchen, Rose felt somebody squeezing her fingers.

'That's enough for now, _corazoncinta_. Come away. Follow my voice. That's it. Here we are.'

The deputy blinked her eyes open and found herself sitting in front of the fireplace; her chest heaving and tears streaming down her face. She hurriedly wiped them away, while Susana waited without word or judgement until her student was ready to talk.

'What was that?' Rose whispered, still trying to settle her racing heart.

'The start of a beautiful friendship, from what I could see,' Mrs Wiley smiled. 'I trust you are still good friends?'

'The best,' Rose answered, wishing she could speak to Lisa right now. 'Um, Susana... I know I'm meant to be on bedrest, but do you think I could go out for an hour or so tomorrow? I'd like to send a few telegrams. There are people back at home who will be wanting to know I'm safe.'

The older woman nodded.

'Of course, darling. It's only a short walk to the telegraph office from here. I'll have Mark accompany you there after breakfast, and he can pick up anything you might need in town while you're there.'

Feeling suddenly drained, Rose hauled herself off the chair before she accidentally fell asleep on the spot.

'Thank you... for letting me off bedrest and for tonight's lesson. If you don't need me for anything else this evening, do you mind if I head off to bed now? I'm feeling kind of tired.'

'I'm not surprised. It takes a lot of energy to do spirit-work. Here...,' Susana got up from her chair and fetched a tin from the back of the kitchen cupboard. 'This should help you get your strength back.'

Deputy Belikov was expecting a slice of bread or maybe a small piece of the savoury seed cake leftover from Sunday's lunch, but her eyes lit up with surprise and delight when she saw what was in the tin. Molasses candy.

'I've always had a sweet tooth too,' Susana confided, handing her a stick. 'You can eat it in your bedroom - if you promise not to get any sticky marks on the sheets.' She lowered her voice to make sure her husband couldn't hear her from the next room. 'And don't tell Mr Wiley about my secret hiding place, or the whole stash will be gone by morning! I love the man, bless him, but he's already getting round enough in the middle as it is!'

The women shared a pair of mischievous smiles and when Rose went to bed that night, her mind was filled with thoughts of long-forgotten childhood days with Lisa, and her mouth was filled with the sweet, burnt taste of molasses.

* * *

'Good morning, sir. I'm here to send a telegram to Saint's Town, in Nevada Territory.'

Rose had to speak up to be heard over the chatter of waiting customers in the Santa Fe telegraph office and the noise of horses in the street outside - a simple act that reminded her that her breathing was not yet back to normal.

'Name?' the clerk looked disinterested.

'Rose Belikov.'

' _Deputy_ Rose Belikov?' the man asked, looking over his wire rimmed glasses to inspect her.

She nodded.

'I've got some messages waiting for you. One moment,' he rifled through some papers filed in the wooden pigeon-holes behind his desk and brought out four small envelopes.

Forgetting she had been about to send a telegram herself, Rose snatched her mail from the clerk's hands and hurried to the quietest corner of the office to read them.

The first was from her father; sent only a few days after they'd left Las Vegas.

I TRUST YOU AND PAVEL ARE DOING WELL (STOP) MISS SAGE AND I HAVE TAKEN THE MORMON TRAIL NORTH (STOP) CURRENTLY STOPPED OFF IN DIXIE (STOP) HAVE CONVINCED ONE OF THE TOWN'S ELDERS TO SET UP A MEETING FOR ME WITH THE MORMON PRESIDENT - BRIGHAM YOUNG - WHEN WE REACH SALT LAKE CITY (STOP) HIS PEOPLE MAY BE ALBE TO ASSIST IN OUR SEARCH FOR DIMITRI (STOP) I EXPECT TO BE IN S.L.C. WITHIN THE WEEK (STOP) PLEASE SEND ME A TELEGRAM WHEN YOU REACH SANTA FE SO I KNOW YOU'VE ARRIVED SAFELY (STOP) ABE (STOP)

Rose re-folded the sheet of paper, a dull ache in her heart. How was she going to explain to him that Pavel didn't make it?

Putting off the inevitable, she opened the second telegram; also from Abe and dated a week after the first.

IN SALT LAKE CITY (STOP) THE TELEGRAPH OFFICE HERE HAS NO RECORD OF A MESSAGE LEFT BY YOU OR PAVEL (STOP) IT'S TRUE I HAVEN'T BEEN THE MODEL EXAMPLE OF A FATHER BUT I AM WORRIED ABOUT YOU ROSEMAIRE (STOP) I WILL REMAIN IN SALT LAKE UNTIL I RECEIVE WORD THAT YOU ARE SAFE (STOP) NEWS ON THE BRIGHAM YOUNG FRONT (STOP) THE MAN IS A POMPOUS OLD ASS BUT HE HAS AGREED TO SEND INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS BRETHEREN ON MY BEHALF (STOP) IF ANY OF THE OUTLAWS INVOLVED IN THE CEDAR CREEK RIAD ARE CAPTURED IN A MORMON TOWN THEY WILL BE HELD PENDING TRIAL OR SETENCING UNTIL I CAN TRAVEL THERE IN PERSON TO QUESTION THEM - OR IN DIMITRI'S CASE ACT AS HIS LAWYER (STOP) I HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON ROSE (STOP) ABE (STOP)

The third telegram was from Sydney; also sent from Salt Lake City.

PLEASE WRITE ROSE (STOP) I EXPECT YOU'VE BEEN DELAYED FOLLOWING A LEAD ABOUT DIMITRI BUT I WISH WE KNEW FOR CERTAIN THAT YOU ARE ALRIGHT (STOP) I AM CONCERNED FOR YOU - AND FOR MR MAZUR AS WELL (STOP) HE HAS BARELY EATEN OR SLEPT IN THE LAST TWO DAYS (STOP) HE'S EVEN BEEN THREATENING TO SET OUT FOR SANTA FE TO SEARCH FOR YOU HIMSELF IF WE DON'T GET ANY WORD SOON (STOP) PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND LET US KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON (STOP) BEST WISHES (STOP) SYDNEY (STOP)

The final message was from Abe. It was sent yesterday.

MISS SAGE HAS CONVINCED ME TO WAIT ONE MORE DAY IN S.L.C. BEFORE WE ALTER COURSE FOR SANTA FE (STOP) I AM CAMPING OUT IN THE TELEGRAPH OFFICE WAITING TO HEAR FROM YOU (STOP) PLEASE WRITE TO ME AND TELL ME MY LITTLE GIRL IS OKAY (STOP)

Rose practically ran to the office clerk's desk, stumbling a few times over her reply and waiting anxiously as each word was tapped out and sent along the wire that spanned the hundreds of miles separating her from her father.

SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO REPLY (STOP) WE WERE ATTACKED BY INDIANS TWO DAYS INTO OUR JOURNEY (STOP) PAVEL INSISTED ON PROTECTING ME (STOP) I WAS WITH HIM AT THE END (STOP) HE WANTED YOU TO KNOW HE DID HIS BEST TO LOOK AFTER ME (STOP) I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW SORRY I AM (STOP) I SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE TO HELP (STOP) ROSE (STOP)

Deputy Belikov paced the waiting room for nearly twenty minutes before a reply came through.

I AM SO RELIEVED YOU ARE SAFE (STOP) WHILE I AM DEEPLY GRIEVED BY THE LOSS OF MY FRIEND I DO NOT REGRET SENDING HIM WITH YOU (STOP) I'M NOT SURE IF PAVEL TOLD YOU HOW WE MET BUT I BELIEVE HE WOULD BE AT PEACE KNOWING HIS ACTIONS KEPT YOU SAFE (STOP) DO YOU PLAN TO STAY LONG IN SANTA FE (STOP) I CAN BE THERE IN A FORTNIGHT IF YOU NEED ME TO COME AND GET YOU (STOP)

The genuine concern in Abe's words made Rose's chin tremble a little, but she pulled herself together as quickly as she could and approached the clerk again to send her response.

THANK YOU FOR OFFERING TO HELP BUT I'M OKAY HONESTLY (STOP) I'LL BE IN S.F. AT LEAST A WEEK BEFORE CONTINUING EAST (STOP) STAYING WITH A NICE LOCAL COUPLE - SUSANA AND MARK WILEY (STOP) THEY ARE TAKING GOOD CARE OF ME AND I SHOULD BE FEELING BETTER IN NO TIME (STOP) WRITE ME IF YOU GET THE CHANCE (STOP) I'D LIKE TO HEAR HOW YOU AND SYDNEY ARE GOING (STOP)

Mark Wiley had been out running a few shopping errands for his wife, but when he popped into the telegraph office to check on Rose it was clear she wanted to wait for her father's incoming reply. Being the gentleman that he was, Mr Wiley found some odd-jobs to busy himself with and promised to return in another hour.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY - YOU SHOULD BE FEELING BETTER IN NO TIME (STOP) IF YOU ARE INJURED OR ILL I WILL BRING SYDNEY SAGE TO NURSE YOU AT ONCE (STOP) JUST TELL ME THE ADDRESS AND WE'LL BE ON OUR WAY (STOP)

Rose couldn't help smiling at her father's anxious mother-henning. She never thought Abe would be such a fusspot.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME OLD MAN (STOP) I'M FINE - JUST A LITTLE RUN DOWN (STOP) I'D BETTER GET HOME NOW AND REST BUT I PROMISE TO STAY IN TOUCH (STOP) SEE YOU AGAIN SOON DAD (STOP)

While Rose was sending off a few short telegrams to inform Lisa, Alberta and Eddie that she was safe, a scene was playing out in the Salt Lake City telegraph office four hundred miles away. An elderly Mormon woman queued behind the telegraph clerk's desk began to shriek as a dark-haired gentleman in an ostentatious suit and cravat threw his arms around her - to the shock and disapproval of the surrounding onlookers.

'She called me _Dad_!' the heathen exclaimed, holding his horrified victim at arm's-length then crushing her to his chest once more. 'It's been fifteen years but think I just got my daughter back!'

* * *

Rose was keen to push forward with her spiritual training the next day, but fate decided otherwise. On Wednesday, Susana was called away to cure a man inflicted with a sudden illness (thought to be the result of a curse), and when she returned home she needed time to rest and recover from the draining effects of the healing ceremony.

They were finally able to resume lessons on Friday, and over the next week Deputy Belikov practiced walking through many of her formative memories under the close eye of her mentor.

Rose found the work difficult - she'd never liked sitting still for long periods of time, and it was hard to remain calm and detached with so many disorienting emotions assaulting her mind and body - but as the days passed she began to gain more control over her memories. With Susana's help, Rose learned to view each scene from various angles, pause the memory and reset it to start again at any point of her choosing, or focus in on tiny details she would never have remembered outside of her spirit-guided state.

When the novice proved she could sit through several provocative memories featuring her childhood nemesis, Madam Kiroy - without allowing the influx of negative emotions to compromise her sense of calm and control - Susana announced it was time for them to try something more challenging.

'That's it, darling,' Susana instructed softly as they sat facing one another with their hands linked and eyes closed. 'Breath steadily and open your heart... Now, when you're ready, I want you to take me to your very first memory of Dimitri.'

Rose was in a deep spirit-trance, but the mention of Dimitri's name flooded her mind with such love and anguish that she was robbed of all control over her surroundings. For a brief moment, she saw her memory-self dangling outside a second-storey shop window; clinging to a knotted sheet that was nowhere near long enough to reach the ground. Then a familiar face craned out over the window-sill and she suddenly felt herself falling. Not being able to tell memory from reality, she would have toppled from the chair she was sitting on and into the kitchen fireplace if Susana hadn't been holding her hands.

'It's alright, darling,' the curandera reassured her, rubbing the deputy's arms and shoulders to coax her back into the present. 'It can be difficult to control the emotions when they are so big and raw. Rest a little and we can try again tomorrow.'

But Rose didn't want to wait.

'Let me do it again now. Just one more try,' she pleaded. 'I'm strong enough. I can do it.'

'If you're sure,' Susana agreed, somewhat reluctantly, and they joined hands once more.

This time, instead of being an observer to the scene, Rose focused on planting her conscious-self into Memory-Rose's body so she could look at Dimitri exactly the way she'd seen him that first day. Closing her ears to the violent hammering of her own heart, she took a long, steadying breath then turned her gaze upwards and looked directly at the man leaning out of the window above her.

The bounty hunter was freshly shaven. Dark hair peeked out from beneath the brim of his cowboy hat – falling across one side of his face as he threw his upper body forward to grab the girl's wrist before she lost grip of the sheet. Strong, tan fingers wrapped around her arm, and Rose's breath lodged in her throat when she saw the infinitesimal flash as something changed in Dimitri's eyes. Winding the time backwards, she watched the scene again - her heartbeat tripping then suspending then fluttering back into life as she slowed the memory down and caught the exact moment she was looking for.

There was a look Dimitri sometimes gave his wife – when they were alone together, twined in one another's arms, skin against skin. It was a look that said no degree of closeness was close enough. A look of utter surprise and soul-enslaving devotion. A look that told her he would fight angels and demons for the chance to stay here with her in this moment forever. Dimitri had told Rose many times in their short year of marriage that he'd probably loved her since the first time he laid eyes on her, but she'd never really believed him… until now.

'Dimitri?' she whispered, reaching out to him.

'Come now, darling,' Susana's voice sounded far away. 'You're doing very well, but it's time to leave. Come away.'

Rose didn't want to leave.

'I'm sorry, _corazoncita_ , but I must insist.'

Dimitri's face evaporated into thin air and Rose felt her chest explode in a painful, heaving sob. Even when Susana tried to soothe her, she refused to open her eyes and acknowledge that she was sitting in a little kitchen somewhere in New Mexico, not hundreds of miles away with the man she loved and their whole future ahead of them.

'Why did you let me see that?' Rose asked sometime later, when she was finally willing to speak. 'I thought this whole thing was meant to be about finding Dimitri, but it's just reminding me that he's not here and I have no way of changing that.'

Her eyes were dark and shining in her distress, and Susana smiled sadly; brushing the back of her finger over the young deputy's cheek.

'I wish I could make this easier for you, poor darling, but I'm afraid that the hardest is yet to come. You asked me to help you find your husband?... Well, if you want to find him, you will need to go back to the day you lost him. I believe you already know what happened to Dimitri and where he is going next. If you have the courage to walk through your memory of what happened that day, you will find the answers you seek.'

Rose bit her lip to stop it from trembling and fresh tears burnt the back of her eyes.

'Please tell me there's another way,' she whispered. 'I don't know if I can go through that again.'

'I'm sorry, darling,' the curandera shook her head. 'It's a terrible thing to ask of you, but you're stronger than you know. We'll wait a few days so you can prepare yourself for the darkness to come, and then we will ask the spirits to show us the truth.'

* * *

It was Thursday the twelfth of December. Exactly five weeks since Dimitri had been shot.

Rose was knelt on the floor by the kitchen fire; knee to knee with Susana. Normally the two women were alone during their spirit sessions, but this time Mark Wiley sat on a low stool beside them - his quiet, steady nature acting as a counterbalance to any negative energies that might arise during the ceremony they were about to perform.

When everybody was ready, the gentleman laid a hand on each of the ladies' shoulders to create a bridge between them, and Rose immediately felt Mark's calm and Susana's strength begin to flow through her. Sensing that they were all connected, the curandera took Dimitri's sheriff's badge from Rose and placed it on a ceremonial drum in the middle of the circle. She sprinkled a fragrant seed-and-tobacco mixture over the top of it and closed her eyes, praying for the spirits to join them. There was a prolonged silence then the air grew heavy and sweet. Susana picked up the drum and began to beat it steadily, and with Dimitri's badge smooth and heavy in the palm of her hand, Rose quickly slipped into a trance-state.

The next thing she knew, Rose was standing in an open field; only a few yards from the water-trough where her memory-self was currently hiding. The snow-capped Sierras were behind her, and in front of her was a barn. _The_ barn. Rose gulped for air and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, willing herself to look at the scene that was playing out before her.

'Get away from her,' Dimitri growled, his gun trained on the soldier who had just assaulted Carly Sage.

Captain Darnell barely acknowledged the threat. 'Private Cartwright is next. Wait your turn,' he sneered.

Memory-Rose hadn't noticed the second soldier lurking in the shadows of the barn, but Spirit-Rose saw him clearly. She felt her heart lurch out of fear for Dimitri but resisted the impulse to cry out a warning. She had to keep calm or her mind would be ejected from the spirit-state and she'd never learn where her husband had been taken.

'He can't hear you anyway,' she told herself harshly, pausing the memory until she felt able to continue.

'I said, _GET. AWAY_.'

There was a tense silence as Sheriff Belikov cocked his gun, then Captain Darnell raised his hands and everything exploded.

Dimitri turned towards a flash of movement to his left and the next second the young private had a bullet lodged in his chest - his own revolver clattering from his hand unfired. But before the sheriff could turn to his aim back upon the first soldier, Darnell snatched a derringer pistol from his boot and pressed his finger to the trigger.

Spirit-Rose closed her eyes and covered her ears; tucking her chin to her chest to block out what she knew came next.

'God above, help me,' she begged, feeling her distant body's heart drumming so fast she was afraid it might race itself to exhaustion and she would die before she awoke from the trance.

A hand laid on her shoulder, warm and strong.

'Spirits, help me,' she croaked, the tears choking her.

The hand that had been on her shoulder disappeared, and the next moment it was reaching inside her chest. Sinking through skin and muscle and bone with no resistance, it closed over her heart and held it gently until the wild palpitations calmed to a steady rhythm.

Rose kept her eyes closed as a feeling of peace washed through her mind and body, and when she opened them again, she was looking into the face of a friend.

It was Mason.

The appearance of a man long dead and buried should have frightened her, but the spirit's touch lingered on her heart; flooding her whole being with a divine, shimmering serenity.

'What the hell are you doing here, Mace?' Rose beamed at him through her tears.

He smiled softly and reached out to touch the star-shaped badge the deputy was clutching in her left hand.

'You're the spirit-guide I prayed for?' Rose couldn't help smiling. 'And here I was thinking I'd get a wolf or a bear or something cool like that!'

Mason rolled his eyes then held out his hand to her - raising his eyebrows in invitation.

Rose and Mason had been friends nearly as long as Rose and Lisa had. Towards the end, romantic feelings had gotten in the way of their friendship (specifically _his_ romantic feelings and the fact that she could not return them), but none of that mattered now. As soon as their hands joined together, the love that flowed between them was as easy as breathing.

'I lost Dimitri,' Rose blinked up at her friend, her heart aching a little when she remembered why they were here.

He nodded in understanding.

'Can you help me find him?' she appealed to the spirit. 'He's hurt and he needs me. I need him too.'

Mason squeezed her hand in response, and suddenly they were standing in the barn - the scene around them paused exactly where Rose's memory had left it.

'Mason...?!' Rose's sense of calm fled the moment her eyes fell upon Dimitri.

The sheriff was wholly focused on the body of Private Cartwright to his left - not yet aware that Captain Darnell had retrieved a concealed weapon and fired upon him.

Rose tried to look away, but Mason's spirit wrapped an arm around her shoulders - helping her find the will to keep watching as Darnell's bullet hurtled towards its destination.

'Wait!' Deputy Belkov cried roughly, and the scene jolted to a halt.

Something wasn't right.

Rose stepped out from the protection of Mason's embrace and walked towards the bullet that was frozen in flight, mid-way to its target. She walked around it, frowning as she tried to work out the puzzle. Even taking into account the fact that Darnell was shooting from a crouched position, the bullet seemed too low. But how...?

The deputy paced across to the shooter - a thought niggling at the back of her mind - and when she positioned herself behind him to look down the barrel of his gun, her suspicions were confirmed. There was no way this shot was ever going to hit Dimitri in the head. Darnell was aiming for the heart.

Rose looked to Mason in confusion, her mind and heart racing. She'd seen Dimitri go down. She'd seen the blood coming from his head. But what if she'd made a mistake?

There was only one way to be sure. Summoning all her courage, she walked towards her husband and took up her place by his side - then willed the memory to resume.

With the sound of the gunshot still echoing around them, time moved slowly as Darnell's bullet arced gracefully towards the sheriff's heart.

Rose looked from the bullet to Dimitri, anxiety churning in her stomach. He was still turned to face Private Cartwright. Why didn't he move?

The bullet whistled closer.

He still didn't move.

Rose had tried her best to remain calm but there was no way she could bring herself to just stand there and wait for her husband to be shot.

'Dimitri!' she shouted desperately, and he seemed to turn at the sound of her voice.

The split-second before the bullet made impact, Sheriff Belikov swung his arm around to defend himself, and Rose watched on in horror and wonder as Darnell's bullet smashed into the outer casing of Dimitri's revolver. Changing course, it flicked up wildly and embedded itself in the sheriff's skull an inch or so above his right ear; the sudden impact knocking him to the ground.

There was only a second of silence and then Rose snapped into life – throwing herself to the ground beside Dimitri and kneeling over him protectively.

'It's okay, cowboy,' she whispered, stroking his hair back from his face, though her touch had no effect.

There was blood seeping from the entry wound above his ear, but not as much as she'd expected. The bullet was still lodged where it entered - stemming the flow of blood and essentially preserving his life.

'You're not dead. You're alive, and we're going to be together again soon,' Rose assured him, stern and tender. 'We'll find a way to get that bullet out safely, as soon as we can. Just hang in there until I find you.'

Rose would have stayed in that moment with Dimitri forever if it were possible - wanting nothing else but to look on his face and comfort him - but the sound of horses approaching made her glance up. Darnell was gone and the rebels who were about to steal Dimitri away from her were closing in.

A sudden, overwhelming tiredness flooded her soul. Rose had no idea how long she'd been caught in the spirit-memory but she had a feeling she wouldn't last much longer without help.

'Mason?' she turned to him for support. 'Stay with me?'

The spirit drew her to his side and she leaned into him for strength as they waited for the rebel leader dismount.

'Come and look at the size of this one!' the outlaw called to his comrades, kicking Dimitri onto his back.

Rose stifled a cry as she heard her husband groan softly, and all four rebels scrambled to point their guns at the body on the ground.

'It's the Russian,' the leader spoke first, met by a barrage of responses from his men.

'It has to be. Look at the badge.'

'The sergeant told us dead or alive.'

Rose's ears pricked up at the word _sergeant_. She'd forgotten that detail. It wasn't much, but it might be enough to help Abe narrow his search.

'Well if he's alive now, he won't be by the time we make it to the front.'

'Who cares. We'll still get paid.'

'Let's go then,' the leader decided. 'It's a long ride south, but the sooner we get to the frontlines, the sooner we get paid.'

Rose gripped onto Mason's arm in frustration. She was running out of time. They were about to kidnap Dimitri again, and she still had no idea where they were taking him.

'Come _on_...!' she shouted to anybody who could hear her.

'Tie him on tight, boys,' the rebel leader instructed as his men helped to heave their bounty up onto his horse's back. 'This is a prize we can't afford to lose. Let's get him to Forrest before he starts to rot.'

The horsemen took off to the south with Dimitri in tow, but Rose didn't watch them leave - or stop to listen to her own curses and cries as her memory-self jumped out from her hiding place to take pot-shots at the fleeing kidnappers.

'Forrest,' she gasped, surfacing from the trance and pitching weakly into Mark Wiley's arms - barely registering Susana's worried face in the background. 'They're taking him to Sergeant Forrest.'

* * *

It took several days for Rose to recover from the emotional effects of the ceremony.

She rested quietly for the first two days. On the third day, the Wileys took her to the Sunday service at the San Miguel Mission - where the priest made a special prayer beseeching Saint Christopher to grant Rose safe travels when she departed Santa Fe later that week. A telegram from Abe promised he would look into the whereabouts of a possible Sergeant Forrest, and Rose's last day with Susana and Mark was spent restocking her supplies for the upcoming journey and indulging in the easy warmth of her hosts' company.

Rose left Santa Fe on a full moon - an auspicious time to take action, according to Susana.

She'd been recommended to deviate from the Santa Fe Trail and take Gregg's Route east instead. It was the lesser used path of the two, but a faster crossing through Indian Territory into Arkansas - and it gave Deputy Belikov the option to stop at the Union outpost of Fort Smith to make enquiries about Dimitri and Sergeant Forrest before deciding on her next move. The trail east was well marked, which allowed Rose to travel quickly during the day. Most nights she camped alone, but once or twice she was invited to join other travellers she'd met along the way; sharing fire, food, and information about the road ahead.

A week into her journey, Rose was planning to make camp for the evening when she saw the lights of a small settlement on the trail up ahead. It was hardly more than a cluster of houses around a tiny chapel, but the deputy hoped she might find a home-cooked meal and a warm, dry place to sleep that night.

Steering her horse through the tiny township, she couldn't help wondering where all the people were. There was nobody walking in the street. No sounds of people enjoying their dinners or children making the most of their last precious hour before bedtime... But then she heard the music.

There was singing coming from the chapel. Drawn by familiar, joyful strains, Rose halted outside in cool night air and felt her spirit lighten. In all the trials of the last six weeks, she'd forgotten it was Christmas Eve.

Leaving the faithful to their worship, the deputy found a quiet place to set up camp under the stars and prayed the way that Susana had taught her – giving thanks for her safe journey and being one day closer to finding her husband. After she'd eaten, she lay down by the fireside and thought back to her first Christmas with Dimitri as man and wife. Rose was no curandera, but when she closed her eyes and opened her heart, a smile sweetened her tired expression.

'I love you, Roza,' Dimitri murmured, gazing down on her with a look that made her stomach squirm with delight.

They were in bed together - naked under the blankets. He lay atop her, his weight supported by one elbow as his other hand trailed over her cheek and through her hair. There was a light sheen of sweat on Dimitri's forehead from his recent exertions, and Rose could feel the evidence of her husband's love warm between her thighs.

'Since when?' Memory-Rose asked lazily, her eyelashes falling closed in contentment as she traced her fingertips slowly over the cowboy's back.

Dimitri's lips pressed possessively against her forehead, her cheekbone and the corner of her jaw before he whispered the truth in her ear.

'Since I first laid eyes on you.'

Memory-Rose chuckled softly, shaking her head disbelief, but Spirit-Rose reached up to stroke her husband's cheek. She'd never doubt his love again.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 ** _Howdy readers! This will be the last chapter I post in 2017 as I'm taking a break over Christmas to work on some other writing projects. Thanks to everyone who has kept up with the story so far and left encouraging comments in the reviews - your support means a lot & helps my writing process so THANK YOU! If you haven't been in touch for a while, I'd love to hear from you - send me a review/PM & let me know what's working & any predictions you have for the 2nd half of the story :)_**

 ** _Susana/Oksana - OH YEAH! This is an all-human story, but magic has come to town anyway. Did you see that coming?! I could have spent literally months researching for Susana's character (a blend of book-Oksana's spirit dream powers + elements from the Mexican tradition of_** ** _curanderismo_** ** _\+ a whole heap of creative licence from me). If you're interested in learning more about the real deal, google Paloma Cervantes - her website is fantastic._**

 ** _I named Mark's character after the historical figure of James Wiley Magoffin. Super nerds can look him up if they want._**

 ** _Mason - Aww. Love him. Couldn't live without him so brought him back as a spirit (not a ghost!)_**

 ** _Dimitri - Argh. Bullet still in the head. Being taken to a dude called Sergeant Forrest. Drama! Drama! Drama!_**

 ** _Romitri - They might not be together in person yet, but now Rose can access her memories we get a bit of Romitri fluff to tide us over until the real thing :P_**


	10. Any Creed or Colour

**_Welcome back after the break - I hope you've all had a relaxing Christmas/New Year's :)_**

 ** _When we last saw Rose, she was travelling east from Santa Fe in search of Dimitri & the mysterious Sergeant Forrest. I think it's time to give her a bit of hope, don't you?!_**

 ** _(Note: There is a highly offensive word in this chapter. I apologise for using it, and hopefully you will be able to forgive me considering its use in this context/time-period.)_**

* * *

 **10\. Any Creed or Colour**

DEAR ROSE (STOP) MY SOURCES HAVE TURNED UP OVER SIXTY FORRESTS CURRENTLY SERVING WITH THE CONFEDERATE FORCES (STOP) MOST ARE ENLISTED MEN THOUGH WE DID FIND A DOZEN OFFICERS AS WELL (STOP) OF THOSE THERE ARE FIVE SERGEANT FORRESTS (STOP) TWO EACH FROM GEORGIA AND VIRGINIA AND ONE FROM TENNESSEE (STOP) I WILL GET BACK TO YOU WITH FULL NAMES AND REGIMENTS AS SOON AS I'VE VERYIFIED THE RECORDS (STOP) STAY STAFE (STOP) ABE (STOP)

The telegram was burning a hole in Deputy Belikov's coat-pocket as she pressed eastward for Fort Smith. It was only another fifty miles to the union fort in Arkansas. All Rose had to do was make it through this last stretch of Indian Territory, then she could stop at the army telegraph office and contact her father for an update. It had been a long and troubled journey chasing Dimitri more than halfway across the country, but now, for the first time, Rose felt like she was finally catching up.

'Dammit to hell!'

The deputy drew her horse to a halt, gazing at the trail ahead (or, more rightly, the _lack_ of a trail ahead). The Arkansas river had broken its banks, and it's cold, gushing waters cut a dark line across Rose's path from north to south as far as the eye could see.

'I'm afraid you'll have to turn back, miss,' a stranger approached on foot to speak with her.

The man appeared to be a trader of some sort. He was travelling with an older man and a woman, who were both watching her warily from their places by a small cooking fire - their two covered wagons set up end-to-end to shelter them from the biting winter wind.

'River's the highest I've seen it in ten years,' he informed her gruffly. 'No way of crossing safely. We're heading back to the last mining town to wait out the week before trying again. You're welcome to travel with us if you like. My wife would appreciate the company...,' his eyes dropped to the pistol at Rose's hip and the rifle holstered in easy reaching distance on the saddle, 'and we can always do with a bit of extra protection on the road.'

'I'm afraid I can't,' Rose frowned in reply. 'I need to get to Fort Smith and I can't spare another week's delay. Which way is it to the next ford?'

The trader shook his head.

'Don't be foolish, girl. There's not another crossing for at least fifteen miles - and there's no guaranteeing that one will be passable either. You're crazy if you think you can make it to the fort in these conditions! You'll drown... or freeze.'

Rose stood her ground. Dimitri felt so close she could almost smell his aftershave, and she wasn't going to let a little flood throw her off the scent.

'Call me crazy if you like. Just tell me which direction to go and I'll get on my way.'

The man sighed in resignation.

'Will you at least let us feed you before you go off and get yourself killed?' his brow wrinkled in fatherly concern. 'And if there's anything you need for supplies, I'm sure we can settle on a fair price.'

Sometime later the deputy set out again; buoyed by the fullness in her belly and the warmth she'd received from the fire and the unexpected company.

It was slower traveling away from the trail. Rose stuck to the river as far as she was able, but there were long stretches where the trees grew so densely along the swollen riverbank that she either had to bring her horse to a walk to navigate the difficult terrain, or range out of sight of the water for clearer ground - at the risk of losing her way.

By the time she found the ford it was already mid-afternoon. The river still travelled swiftly here but it was shallow enough for a horse to walk across, so Rose urged her mount carefully into the murky, frigid water and - after a tense minute or so - made it to safety on the other side.

The danger was not over, however. The deputy's trousers had been drenched to the knee in the crossing, and suddenly all of her plans and schemes to find Dimitri shrunk to one simple goal - getting herself and her horse warm and dry as quickly as possible.

Finding a suitable place to make camp, she had just lowered herself stiffly from the saddle when she paused; sniffing the air like a hound.

Smoke. And charred rabbit.

Rose had been so focused on taking care of her own bodily needs that she'd failed to notice the thin wisp of smoke rising above the tree-line only a short distance away from her. Somebody must be cooking nearby. Now that she was paying close attention, she was able to make out the sound of muted voices carrying just above the gurgle and hiss of the river behind her. Men. Two, maybe three.

For a fleeting moment she hoped that - by some miracle - fate had led her directly to Dimitri and the rebels who had taken him, but then she remembered Abe's telegram. If that information was reliable, Dimitri would be well east of here by now. Whoever was out there were strangers, and they may not take kindly to their privacy being disturbed.

Making a quick assessment of her situation, Rose realised she only had two choices; slip away before she was noticed - or reveal herself to the strangers while she still had the advantage of surprise. Deciding on the latter, the deputy tied her horse to a nearby tree and drew her rifle from its holster on the saddle. If the mystery campers were friendly she might be able to share their fire, possibly trade them something for information about Dimitri or Sergeant Forrest. And if they were hostile?... Rose cocked her gun and crept soundlessly towards her prey.

* * *

'Gentlemen.'

Deputy Belikov stepped out into the clearing and three pairs of eyes darted wildly towards her.

'No sudden movements please,' she advised. 'You... show me your hands.'

The young man who was kneeling over the rabbit on the fire pivoted slowly - raising his hands to show that he was unarmed. Large, black hands; strong, wind-chafed and calloused.

'If you're going to shoot, get on with it,' the dark-skinned youth looked up at her fearlessly - his body unmoving but his eyes flashing with contempt. 'Better aim right though, missus, 'cause none of us is going back to the plantation without a fight.'

 _Plantation_? Rose suddenly remembered a bounty poster she'd seen displayed at the last mining settlement; a four-hundred dollar reward for the capture and return of '2 NEGRO SLAVES' - escaped from a cotton plantation just south of the Texas border.

Pity and anger welled up in the deputy's chest as she considered the injustice of a world where one man could place a monetary value on the life of another. How could _anybody_ think that was acceptable?

'I'm not here to take anyone back to a plantation,' Rose clarified quickly, though she kept her gun raised, 'and I'll only shoot if one of you tries to harm me. Now, can I lower the rifle so we can all talk like civilised folk?'

After a tense silence, the man by the fire nodded in agreement and the others followed suit.

Rose lowered her weapon slowly - checking for any sign of deceit or resistance - then disappeared to retrieve her horse. A minute or two later she returned to sit with the group, and set about loosening her bootlaces as fast as her stiff fingers would allow.

'Ford,' she explained, wringing two small puddles of water from her trouser cuffs then setting her boots by the fire to air.

Disappearing behind her horse, Rose found her winter day dress and pulled it on over her head; taking a moment to finger the smooth, glass bead that hung from a ribbon around her neck. If Abe's parting gift was meant to be a good-luck talisman, then perhaps fate had led her to cross paths with these runaway slaves for a reason?

A sudden gust of wind reminded the deputy that she should return to the warmth of the campfire. Tucking the necklace safely beneath her collar, Rose heaved her heavy suit-coat on for extra warmth then kicked off the damp trousers and stockings that from beneath her skirt. With a fresh pair of stockings balled up in her pocket, she emerged from behind the horse to retrieve her boots and lay the other items out to dry.

'Need a blanket, missus?'

Rose looked up from re-tying her bootlaces to see the youngest of the three men by the fire holding out a threadbare rug, which he'd taken from around his own shoulders. He looked to be in his mid-teens; slighter in build than his companions, underfed and not dressed anywhere near warmly enough to be camping out in December. Even so, he was willing to offer Rose - a white woman and a stranger - his most valuable possession.

'It's Rose, not _missus_ ,' she corrected quickly, not wanting to be addressed like she was the wife of a rich slaveholder. 'And thank-you for offering, but I'm fine. It's already generous enough you allowing me to share your fire, Mr...,' she let the last word dangle, fishing for a name.

'Don't tell her anything,' the first man warned sharply.

They were already taking a big risk allowing a stranger into their camp and he didn't want to give away any information that might lead to their capture and punishment.

But clearly the younger boy disagreed.

'I'm Nic,' he stood awkwardly, removing his hat out of respect.

His voice was deep but cloudy - as though it had not long broken and was still settling into its new timbre.

'Sorry about my brother. Denis just wants to keep us safe. You won't tell anyone about us will you?'

Rose walked across to shake the boy's hand (much to his surprise).

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Nic,' she told him warmly. 'You and your brother have nothing to fear from me. I won't breathe a word of our meeting to anyone.'

The deputy glanced down at their joined hands and frowned when she noticed a strip of white cloth peeking out from beneath the young man's sleeve.

'What's that on your arm? Are you wounded?'

She reached out curiously but Nic pulled away, cradling his left hand protectively to his chest.

'Dog bite,' Denis advanced, standing protectively beside his little brother. 'They set the hounds on us a couple of days ago. Nic only made it because Lev wrestled the cur off him and took care of it before the rest of the pack caught up,' he nodded to the silent young man by the fire, who didn't acknowledge them in any way.

While Denis was clearly the leader of the group, Lev was the most physically intimidating of the three. His clothing hugged tightly to his broad shoulders and hard-muscled chest, and there was something raw and bitter in his expression that made Deputy Belikov hope she wouldn't have any reason to fight against him.

' _Who_ set hounds on you?' Rose looked at him in dismay, horrified that these men - barely more than boys really, about the same age or younger than herself - were being hunted down like animals, just because they wanted the right to be free.

'Does it even matter?' Denis shrugged, moving back to the fire to turn the rabbit on the coals. 'Soldiers, planters, vigilantes after the bounty money - or just wanting to check if we have red blood the same as the rest of you... Whoever it was, we lost them. They might catch up to us again, and next time they might win, but we're free for now and that's all that matters.'

Following his brother's lead, Nic sat down again and beckoned for Rose to take the spot beside him, but she shook her head. Instead, she went to fetch Sydney's medial satchel from the horse and returned to kneel by the youngest boy's side. The deputy took his hand carefully and - after some coaxing - he allowed her to examine the wound on his wrist and bind it in a fresh dressing.

'So where will you go?' Rose glanced up from her work, directing the question to Denis. 'Is there anywhere that's safe for you?'

There was a snort of derisive laughter from Lev - the first sound he'd made since Rose had arrived.

'Who said we want to be safe?' he said darky, staring into the campfire's flames with a hard expression.

Rose felt confused.

'What he means is, we didn't escape to be _safe_...,' Denis explained. 'We escaped to be _free_ \- and to fight for the freedom of our brothers and sisters still suffering in bondage.'

A new earnestness lit his expression, which reminded Rose of Mason.

'Fort Smith is recruiting blacks to join the Union army,' Denis continued, 'to fight against the Confederates who enslaved us. We're on our way to sign up.'

'Fort Smith?' the deputy's ears pricked up at the name. 'That's where I'm headed too. I'm only this far south because the main trail was flooded and I had make a detour.'

Nic leaned forward eagerly to catch her attention.

'Why don't you come with us then?' he suggested. 'We could all...'

'No,' Denis refused bluntly. 'Her horse would only draw unwanted attention, and if anybody sees us with a white woman there'll be big trouble for us - and for her. It's too dangerous.'

'But...,' Nic complained.

His brother shot him a warning glare, but the argument didn't escalate any further thanks to an interruption from Rose.

'Actually, I think travelling together might be a good idea,' she said, thinking aloud. 'I was hoping to push on a few more hours this afternoon and make it to the fort by tomorrow evening, but my horse could do with a rest and so could I.'

It was a three day journey to Fort Smith by foot - a longer delay than she wanted to make - but if Rose joined the men just for _one_ day, she'd have the luxury of a solid night's sleep knowing the camp was well guarded, allow her horse a break from the urgent pace they'd been keeping, and still reach her destination only a day later than planned. Also - most importantly - she deeply admired the three runaways for their courage and resilience, and wanted to help them in any way she could.

'I won't be a burden,' she added, seeing Denis narrow his eyes in suspicion. 'I can pull my own weight. I have supplies I can share on the way; food, drink, spare bedding if anyone needs it,' she looked to Nic, hoping he would accept an improvement to the thin scrap of cloth he was huddled under. 'I've got weapons too, and if we do get attacked I'll stand and fight with you.'

'I still don't like it,' the furrow between Denis' eyebrows deepened. 'We don't know anything about you except your name. You could be a spy. You could be planning to betray us.'

Rose tried to ignore the insinuation that she might be a traitor.

'Look, I realise you have no reason to trust me, but we're heading in the same direction and I thought maybe we could help one another... But if you'd rather we just went our own ways...'

'She's got food, Denny. Just let her come with us... please?'

There was a rustle in the trees behind them and a scraggly youth emerged into the clearing; buttoning his too-short trousers and walking right up to the white woman to introduce himself.

'Name's Arthur, miss,' he grinned. 'Got any rum?'

The deputy was furious with herself for not considering that there might be anybody else nearby - even if was just a boy who had gone to relieve himself in the bushes - but the cheeky expression on Arthur's face quickly eased her tension and she grinned right back at him.

'No rum. But I could spare a bit of whiskey if you're interested?'

'She's in,' Lev announced from the other side of the fire, the stranger suddenly worthy of his attention.

'She's in?' Nic asked his brother hopefully.

Denis deliberated a moment or two longer then nodded.

'She's in.'

* * *

Between Denis' rabbit, a selection of canned goods Rose had purchased from the traders earlier that day, and a half-bottle of whiskey between the five of them, their late lunch turned into quite a feast.

Nic and Arthur spent the whole meal quizzing their guest about her home town and the adventures she'd had on her journey, while an ever solemn Denis asked probing questions about the nature of Rose's business at Fort Smith and her fighting skills, should they be required. (Lev was too busy savouring his food and drink to bother talking much.)

The group bonded quickly - sharing stories about their families and friends, and the latest scraps of news they'd heard about the war. There was even one moment of uproarious laughter when Rose and Lev both spied the last, lonely bean in the cooking pot and engaged in a fork and spoon battle to decide who would win the prize. Lev got the bean, but Rose felt like _she_ was the winner when she noticed that their childish antics had made Denis finally crack a smile.

Some time later, the talking shifted to the subject of Sheriff Belikov, and a hush fell over the gathering as Rose told her story.

'It's been two months and two days since my husband was taken,' she spoke quietly, feeling the loss of him as strongly as ever, but also a sense of relief - like talking about Dimitri aloud made him feel more real, somehow. 'If I just knew he was safe it would be so much easier, you know?' she trailed off, her eyes becoming lost in the campfire as her fingers twisted at the wedding band on her left hand.

'I know,' a deep voice echoed hers, and Rose glanced up in surprise to see Denis hold her gaze for a long moment before looking away again.

'It's Tamara,' Nic explained afterwards, when the others had broken off into their own conversation. 'Denny's girl. She was with us when we escaped from the plantation, but then this happened...,' he held up his wounded arm, 'and she got separated from the group. 'I'm not sure if the dogs got her or if she's still in hiding somewhere. We heard a rumour about a place up in the mountains where people like us can go for refuge. I hope she made it there, but we'll probably never find out now.'

Rose glanced across at Denis and her feelings were torn in two directions; sorrow for his loss, but also gratefulness that her situation was different. Of all the families and loved ones that had been split apart by this war, Rose felt like one of the lucky ones. Dimitri might be gone, but at least she had a solid lead on where he might be and the means and freedom to keep searching until he was found.

The afternoon was wearing on when Denis stood up and announced that he would take first watch while the others got a few hours' sleep. They'd planned to travel by night - to decrease their chances of being spotted by Confederate troops, vigilantes, or any natives that populated this region of Indian Territory - and it was important for everyone to rest up before departing.

Rose shared out what bedding she had between them all, then, while the others were bunking down, excused herself to answer a pressing call of nature. Ranging away from the camp for privacy, she lifted her skirts and crouched in the bushes; completing her business in record time so she could hurry back to the warmth of the campfire. When she was done, Rose fished in her pocket for a folded page of the _Santa Fe Gazette_ and smiled with morbid satisfaction as she tore the ' _WAR NEWS_ ' column in half and used it to wipe herself dry. The smile faded a few seconds later, however, when she heard the sound of a twig cracking sharply behind her.

The deputy startled and froze, her stomach rolling with fear. She didn't think Nic, Arthur or Denis would consider harming her, but perhaps Lev might be troubled enough or desperate enough to kill her for her horse and belongings?

But it wasn't Lev's voice that hissed in her ear.

'Gotcha, traitor.'

Before she could react, Rose's left arm was yanked behind her back - pushing her weight forward and restricting her movement - while another hand slid roughly around her throat, preventing her from turning to see her attacker.

'You like black men, do you, whore? Well I think I'm going need to remind you what a white man feels like.'

The stranger dug his fingers deeper into her neck - releasing her arm so he could unbutton his trousers.

Rose's mind flew to the image of Carly Sage in the barn (and a much earlier memory of being forced upon by her 'sweetheart' Jesse), but she didn't feel afraid. She felt angry. Very, _very_ angry.

Armed with all the skills Dimitri had taught her (and some she had invented herself), Deputy Belikov collapsed forward so swiftly that her attacker overbalanced; losing his grip slightly as he pitched over the top of her. With a gasping breath, Rose wrenched the man's hand away from her neck and used the momentum of his falling body to flip him over so he landed heavily on his back.

The deputy's breathing was harsh and laboured as she gazed down at the person who'd just attacked her. He was young - no older than Dimitri - with piercing blue eyes and thick, sandy-brown curls that flicked up softly from beneath his slouched forage cap. If she'd seen him riding past on the Santa Fe Trail in his smart, grey cavalryman's uniform, she probably would have even thought him handsome. But not now.

The Confederate soldier looked up at her dumbly for a moment then his eyes sharpened with anger and contempt. Cursing loudly, he scrambled to stand up but Rose moved quicker; pinning the soldier's right arm to the ground with her knee, and taking some degree of pleasure from grinding his elbow into a sharp stone that was poking up from the dirt beneath him.

'That's _not_ the way you speak to a lady, soldier,' she jabbed her knee in a little harder; drawing a small knife from her boot and flicking open the brass and deerhorn casing to extend the blade.

Alberta's unusual choice of wedding gift had drawn quite a few raised eyebrows, but Rose had been glad to receive something so beautiful and practical - though never more glad than now.

'Get off me, nigger lover,' the grey-coated soldier snarled, groping awkwardly for his holstered pistol with his free arm and attempting to take aim.

Denying him any advantage, Rose slashed out with her knife; blood springing thickly from the deep cut that opened on the back of his hand, and a series of expletives spewing from his mouth. With that injury, he wouldn't be firing a weapon anytime soon.

They both startled as a gunshot rang echoed in the background and the deputy's heart tightened out of fear for her companions. She knew she had to finish this fight quickly so she could go and aid the others.

'Time to give up, soldier,' Rose fended off a wild swing as the bleeding man tried to use his gun as a club. 'My name is Deputy Belikov and I'm arresting you for assault with intent to rape.'

She would have been quite happy to just kill the bastard, but she was a trained deputy sheriff and the law required her to mete out justice, not revenge.

The man's eyes bugged wide and then he laughed in delight.

'The boys are going to love this!' he smirked.

Seized by a new burst of energy, the soldier rolled unexpectedly and wrenched his good arm from beneath Rose's knee. Rising up on all fours, he lunged out violently to strike her with the barrel of his pistol.

He failed to make contact, however; flinching in surprise as Deputy Belikov let out a guttural cry and buried her blade in the side of his neck.

Dropping to the ground, the man scrabbled at his collar in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but it was no use and he knew it.

Rose knew it too.

She turned towards the campsite - mentally armouring herself for the fight to come - except a tug at her skirt detained her.

'Get off me,' she snapped, her eyes flaring with self-righteous anger as she spun around to defend herself.

The deputy had been expecting to beat off another weak attack, but when she looked down at the soldier lying at her feet, she was startled by the change in him.

Moments ago, the man's face had been cold, arrogant and determined. Now his handsome features were drawn with suffering, and his eyes shadowed with fear and regret.

'Let go of me,' Rose demanded quietly.

She felt no fear of him - only pity.

Letting go at last, the young man half-rolled onto his side and reached for his coat pocket.

'Ma,' he choked on the word, tapping the pocket feebly.

Rose's heart sank as she realised his meaning.

'You got a letter for her, soldier?' she asked sternly, crouching down to acknowledge his final request.

The man's behaviour towards her may have been despicable, but war did strange things to people and this was still somebody's son or husband or brother. Whoever he was leaving behind deserved to hear of his passing.

The soldier nodded once, groaning as the small movement sent a shock of pain through his body.

Rose reached out cautiously and unbuttoned his pocket to find a letter inside; the sloping script so heavy in places that the ink had bled right through the page.

'I'll see that she gets this,' the deputy slipped the letter into her own pocket, glancing over her shoulder when the sound of fighting at the campsite was punctuated by a scream of rage.

Time was up. She needed to go.

The soldier made a strange gurgling sound and the deputy turned to look at him once more, unable to make out what he was trying to say.

'I don't understand,' she frowned, leaning in a little closer.

'Sorry, ma'am... I'm sorry,' he whispered, his jaw trembling as tears of pain and regret slid down his cheeks.

'Me too,' Rose answered sadly, then hurried away to help her friends.

* * *

The fighting noises were already subsiding as Rose approached the campsite, and when she finally emerged into the clearing there was only silence.

'Denis. Report,' she demanded, her eyes darting around the scene of carnage that confronted her.

There were two Confederate soldiers on the ground. The man closest to Arthur had been stabbed in the chest with a kitchen knife - more than once apparently. Lev was standing over the other one; his eyes wild and a little frightened as he stared at the fist-sized rock that was clenched in his hand, dripping with blood.

Denis didn't answer, though - his whole focus on the boy that was cradled in his arms.

'The other one got away,' Nic explained in a small voice, and seconds later Rose was at his side; pressing her hands to the gaping bullet wound on his left arm - a few inches below the shoulder joint.

'My medical bag,' she called urgently to Arthur, who broke from his trance and ran to fetch the satchel.

'I tried to protect him,' Denis looked like he was going to be sick. 'I wasn't fast enough.'

Arthur arrived with the medical supplies and Rose did what little she could - dousing Nic's wound in alcohol and binding it with clean bandages. The deputy didn't know much about fixing gunshot wounds (she was normally the one causing them, not _treating_ them), but she saw that the bullet had gone right through the arm and out the other side, which was a good sign. If they could just stem the bleeding he might be in with a chance. Whether he'd be able to keep his arm or not was another question.

'How are any of you even alive?' Deputy Belikov asked as she wrapped her warmest blanket around Nic's shoulders. 'Those soldiers were trained and armed. How did you overpower them?'

It was Lev who answered her.

'White men have called us docile and stupid all our lives. I guess they weren't expecting us to fight back.'

Rose shook her head slowly, too appalled to respond, but Nic didn't allow her time to dwell on the matter.

'You all need to go,' he reminded them. 'The other one got away, remember? He'll be back with friends and if you're still here...'

Everybody knew what that meant.

'I know what you're thinking and I won't hear of it,' Denis squeezed his brother's hand fiercely. 'We're not leaving you behind.'

'But you have to,' Nic shrugged. 'I can't keep up with you, and even if I could, they'll never let me sign up as a Union soldier with my arm like this. Just go, Denny. Fight for both of us. I'll be fine,' he finished bravely, jutting out his jaw to show just how fine he was.

'But...'

'He's right. You and the others should go,' Rose laid her hand lightly on Denis' arm to give him some of her strength. 'I'll stay and take care of him... Nic?' she dropped her eyes to the injured boy. 'You said something about a refuge in the mountains. How far is it from here?'

Nic looked uncertain.

'We don't know for sure,' Arthur chimed in, 'but the rumours say it's somewhere on the lower slopes of the Ouachita Forest - about forty miles south-east of here,' he pointed out the general direction.

'Then it's decided,' Rose said firmly. 'I'll take Nic on my horse to find the refuge... And you three get your cabooses out of here. Those uniforms are cavalry,' her eyes flicked to the dead soldiers on the ground, 'which means there'll be horses tied nearby. If you leave now and keep riding through the night, you might even make it to Fort Smith by dawn.'

Lev and Arthur looked at one another hopefully, but Denis still resisted.

'But what about your husband, Rose? You should be looking for him, not helping us.'

The deputy shook her head - brown eyes gazing into brown eyes.

'Dimitri would never leave an innocent to suffer if it was in his power to help. I know he'll understand.'

* * *

It was nearly morning when Deputy Belikov squeezed her charge's hand to wake him. The injured boy groaned softly as he lifted his head off Rose's back, gripping his good arm tighter around her middle when he realised that he could have fallen from the saddle in his sleep.

'Are we there yet, Rose?' Nic asked, his voice masked with pain and weariness.

The deputy turned her head to check on him, and the unfocused look in his eyes made her urge the horse on faster, although she didn't know exactly where it was they were meant to be going.

'I think we're close,' she lied, flashing him a smile of encouragment. 'Look. The forest is just up ahead. All we have to do now is find the refuge.'

Nic peered over her shoulder and sighed in relief, seeing a blanket of densely wooded peaks rising up from the darkness less than a mile in front of them.

He rested his head down again on Rose's shoulder and closed his eyes - too exhausted to do anything but deliver his whole trust into the hands of this woman who had put her own life on hold to help him... This white woman whose fierce compassion and unshakable belief in protecting the weak and helpless had rendered her colour-blind.

With one ear listening out for any changes to Nic's breathing, Rose kept her eyes on the way ahead. She didn't dwell on the fact that the forest was so vast they might take days to stumble across the mountain refuge (if it even existed). She'd decided several hours ago that if fate wanted her to save Nic from being captured by Confederate soldiers, then fate could damn well stay on her side until she'd gotten him to safety.

They reached the tree-line a short time later, and the deputy paused briefly before turning her horse's nose due east - following her gut and skirting along the northernmost edge of the forest.

Over the next hour, the world around them began to transform as night turned into day. The shadowy landscape gradually lightened; the soft, early morning light glinting on the surface of a sprawling lake to their left, and winking through the low hanging clouds that hovered like smoke over the treetops.

'What's that?'

Nick had woken again and was pointing off to something that seemed to be drifting above a tree-covered ridge to their right.

The deputy squinted, her eyes struggling to focus after a whole day and night without sleep. It was probably just mist... but if it was smoke?

'We should take a closer look,' she nodded, veering off towards the green sea of oaks and firs in search of civilization.

As soon as they stepped foot into the forest, the first thing Rose noticed was the change in temperature. Her face and hands felt instantly cooler, and she sucked in a deep breath of air; inhaling the musky scent of damp pine needles and decaying leaf litter that carpeted the forest floor.

It was darker here too - the trees-trunks so tall and close together that it seemed like the travellers were walled in on all sides. With visibility so poor and any number of unknown dangers ahead, Rose decided they would fare better if she carried on by foot. Sliding down from the horse, she took the reins loosely in one hand and guided the beast and its fragile cargo deeper into the forest; checking her compass regularly to maintain their chosen course and following the rising contour of the earth beneath her feet as it gradually delivered them to higher ground.

'I don't feel so good,' Nic murmured, less than half an hour into their trek.

The deputy stopped abruptly, grabbing the boy's leg as he swayed slightly in the saddle and noting with dismay that his arm had started bleeding again.

'Hang in there, Nic,' she pleaded with him, taking the brandy bottle from the medical bag and pushing it into his hands - hoping it might be enough to dull the pain. 'Just a little while longer and we'll be there.'

But the injured youth had no interest in the bottle - his eyes locked fearfully on something over Rose's shoulder.

Alerted to the fact they were in danger, Rose closed her hand over the pistol at her hip and turned slowly; her brain sifting frantically through all the possibilities of what might be waiting behind her.

It wasn't what she expected.

Their path was blocked by an Indian. A female. Shorter and slighter in frame that Rose, with an ageless kind of face that could have placed her anywhere between ten and twenty years old. Despite her small size, the girl looked as fierce as a full-grown warrior brave. Her black eyes flashed with hostility, and if her menacing expression wasn't enough to intimidate the outsiders, the bow and arrow in her hands certainly had the desired effect.

 _Friend._

Rose signed hurriedly, Christian's hand signing lessons mercifully flooding back to her.

If anything, the Indian girl's expression actually darkened. Her bow had been pointed at the ground, but now she lifted her aim to line up with the deputy's feet.

Rose didn't need to hear an answer in English to know that her offer of friendship had been refused. Still, she couldn't just turn and leave. Nic needed rest and medical attention as soon as possible, and maybe this girl knew something that could help them.

'Listen,' she began, holding her hands away from her gun so she wouldn't appear to be a threat. 'My friend is hurt. We heard there's a refuge somewhere in this forest. A safe place. Can you show us the way?'

She threw in a few signs for _hurt_ , _help, you_ and _guide_ , praying to God that she'd remembered the actions correctly and didn't just accidently say something nasty about the girl's mother.

The Indian narrowed her eyes and raised her bow in line with Rose's chest; making a sharp gesture with her chin that unmistakably meant - _Leave... NOW_.

Rose had never liked being told what to do, so she planted her feet and stayed.

'We've come a long way,' she met the girl's eyes unflinchingly. 'Please, take us to the refuge. Or tell us how to get there. I can pay however you want; food, money, supplies...'

That seemed to antagonise the archer even further and she drew back on the string; aiming between Rose's eyes.

'Go away. There is no room for you here,' she commanded, and Rose blinked in surprise, realising that the girl had spoken in English.

Somehow, that fact annoyed the deputy rather than comforted her. If the girl understood that they were only here because Nic was wounded, and that they would happily reimburse her for her time, then why was she still refusing to cooperate?

'We're not leaving,' Rose declared, standing taller and thrusting her jaw out to show she wasn't afraid of the arrow that was pointed at her head. 'Now, if you won't assist us, I'd appreciate it if you got out of our way. My friend needs help, and we are going to find that refuge with or without your permission.'

'You think you deserve to take refuge with my people?' the girl started to range forward, one step at a time, keeping her aim trained on Rose but letting her eyes wander to the black man half-slumped in the saddle a few paces behind.

'Why should we take _him_?' she challenged. 'He is too weak to be of any use to us. He will only lie around and use up our valuable resources, and then he will probably die.'

Rose held back the urge to leap out and strangle her with her bare hands.

'Our refuge is not for the weak,' the girl continued, tossing her long, dark hair for emphasis. 'We only welcome those who are strong enough contribute back to the group. _He_ cannot contribute, so he is a burden. I think you would be a burden too,' she glanced the white woman up and down with an arrogant curl to her lips. 'Look at all your fancy clothes and gear. You wouldn't survive a day out here without your city things... And I guarantee you're too big and slow to get past m-...'

She had been planning a longer speech, but the words were stolen from her mouth as Deputy Belikov dropped like a stone then sprung forwards; tackling her enemy around the waist and using her full body-weight to pin the smaller woman to the ground.

'Bigger than you, maybe, but I'm not slow,' she hissed, ducking to one side as the arrow that had been nocked to the string flew wild.

The Indian girl cursed in her own language and, in a fit of fury, managed to wallop Rose over the shoulders with the wooden arc of her bow.

Rose grunted at the force of the strike, but ignored the sharp blossom of pain across her shoulder-blades; landing a flurry of blows to the girl's exposed ribcage that caused her to drop her bow and curl up to protect herself.

'I don't want to fight you...,' the deputy blocked a renewed attack from the enraged woman beneath her; sitting heavily over the native's thighs and slapping her hand away when she tried to reach for her knife. '...But I _will_ fight if you continue to stand in my way.'

The Indian girl spat in Rose's face, and the slight distraction gave her the advantage she was looking for. Twisting onto her side, she scrabbled for the quiver of arrows that had been knocked askew on her shoulder - planning to use one as a dagger - but Rose stretched out to the opposite side and grabbed the discarded bow. Laying it horizontally across her adversary's chest, the deputy pressed the curve of the bow firmly against the other woman's throat; applying just enough pressure to prove she meant business.

'So, how do you want this to end?' Rose demanded, her voice shaky from the fight but her eyes steady and determined. 'Do you want to die here, or do you want to show me the way to the refuge so I can get help for my friend?'

The look on the young girl's face screamed that she would never, ever submit, but a soft sound to Rose's left made her look up and she quickly released the pressure she'd been exerting on her enemy's windpipe.

'I think she's proved she's strong enough to join the tribe, don't you Jacado'ahhaemay?'

An Indian brave emerged from the forest, with three others melting out from the trees behind him.

The young man's appearance was so striking it almost took Rose's breath away. His face was a perfect marriage of flawless, copper skin, sharp cheekbones, a firm chin, and soft, brown eyes that studied the two strangers with interest, not malice. The Indian's dark, glossy hair was twice the length of Dimitri's - parted in the middle and falling in two long plaits either side of his face - and as he approached the women on the ground, his presence carried a sense of strength and calm that brought the short-lived battle to an immediate end.

' _She_ might be strong enough, but the man on the horse isn't,' the girl wriggled out from under Rose and stood facing the newcomer with her hands on her hips. 'We shouldn't let him in.'

The brave shook his head.

'That is not our decision to make, and you know it.'

Rose was on her feet by now, moving back towards the horse so she could protect Nic at the first sign of trouble, but the Indian brave stood in her way; looking into her eyes and speaking slowly but clearly in English.

'My people call me Cahdus'caht'iti, but you can call me Joshua. You've already met my sister Angeline,' he gestured to the girl who was now sulking under a hickory tree. 'It was a brave choice, risking your life to help your friend. Get up on your horse and I will lead you to the refuge. Our chief will want to meet you and hear your story.'

Relieved beyond measure, Rose did as she was instructed; keeping half an eye on her surroundings as they travelled deeper into the forest (in case she needed to find her way out again), and half an eye on the storm-cloud also known as Angeline.

* * *

They'd covered about five miles of hilly terrain when the forest suddenly opened out into a large clearing - with a lake nestled into its far curve and a wide area of furrowed earth that looked like it was used for growing crops.

Rose and Nic looked around in unmasked astonishment as they passed strange, cone-shaped huts that were walled with tight bundles of cane and long grass. There were a few smaller tipis as well - bordered with intricate animal designs - and all through the village, people sat around campfires in their family groupings; wrapped in tanned buffalo robes for warmth as they talked quietly and shared breakfast together.

While nothing about this situation seemed normal to Rose, things got stranger still as Joshua led his guests to the doorway of the largest hut and beckoned them inside.

Near the entrance, a small group of adults relaxed in chairs around a cooking fire, while a few children sat on the ground at their feet. That in itself was normal enough, but what Rose found surprising was that they weren't all Indians. She assumed that the man in the place of honour was the chief, and the native woman beside him his wife, but on his other side was a black woman and her two young children, and opposite them sat an older man who looked to be of mixed white and Indian descent.

'What is this place?' Deputy Belikov murmured under her breath, trying to understand how such a utopia could exist while the rest of the country was crippled by prejudice and strangled by war.

'Father,' Joshua addressed the chief, dipping his eyes in respect. 'We found these travellers seeking refuge near the edge of the forest. The man is wounded and needs the attention of our medicine man. The woman is his protector. She defeated Angeline in order to bring him here. Can they stay?'

The chief ran a critical eye over both the newcomers and inclined his head graciously.

'Bahtenah'win... See to the needs of this one,' he commanded in a soft, regal voice, and the old, pale-skinned Indian rose from his chair; putting one arm around Nic's back to support his weight and leading him away.

'As for this place...,' the chief turned his attention to Rose and gestured for her to take the vacant chair across the fire. 'I am Chief Iwi'nit'uh. My people originally came from Red River country but we were pushed north out of our lands to make way for new settlers. For the same reason, my wife's people were forced further south. We grew tired of being moved around at the whim of others so we formed a new tribe and claimed this land as our own. It is a safe place where we can live beyond the interference of the outside world and keep the sacred traditions of our forefathers - and any man, woman or child of any creed or colour who shares our beliefs may live alongside us in peace.'

Rose felt utterly overwhelmed. The last contact she'd had with Indians was when Pavel was killed. The idea of so many different tribes and cultures living together side-by-side was something she would have never imagined possible.

'Our tribe are the Coo'tsa,' Chief Iwi'nit'uh continued, watching his guest steadily from across the fire, 'and, if you choose it, you shall become Coo'tsa too.'

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 ** _Howdy readers! Thanks for joining me again for the 2nd half of the story - and welcome to new readers who've just caught up. Super shout out to Martianeskimo - you rock!_**

 ** _I took a few weeks off writing DBCW over Christmas to work on some other writing projects (8 Christmassy one-shots posted on my profile page) but now my brain is back in cowboy land again, so you can expect a chapter every few weeks from now!_**

 ** _Flood - there really was a flood in the winter of 1861-62. It was a freak event that wiped out a heap of towns & cities on the west coast. Technically, Rose is further east by now, but I wanted to use the flooding as an excuse to put her on a collision course with the Unpromised & the Keepers._**

 ** _The Unpromised - What did you think of Rose's hunting buddies (Denis, Nick, Artur, Lev, Tamara) from BP? Denis' line about 'vigilantes... wanting to check if we have red blood the same as the rest of you' is a reference to the movie 'To Sir, With Love'. I hope the slave/confederate characters in this scene came across as more complex than just good guy/bad guy. Everybody has the potential to be a good or bad person - regardless of their ethnic, cultural, religious or political background._**

 ** _The Keepers - Aargh - I've been sitting on this reveal for SO LONG & I'm super excited for this story arc to unfold. Did you guess this was coming? I've based The Keepers on the general histories/characteristics/language of the Caddo & Kiowa peoples. SO much awesome still to come :D_**

 ** _Please don't forget to leave me a review/PM & let me know what bits tickled your fancy/any predictions for the upcoming chapters._**

 ** _Also, I've just made a Facebook page (Llaria6) to keep you updated on my progress between chapters & hopefully generate some conversations about VA/this story/general thoughts about writing fanfiction, etc. - so if you're into FB, pop over to my page & click 'Like'. I'm basically a FB virgin, so open to any suggestions you might have about how to build a page that is relevant & interesting to you._**

 ** _Do you feel like some Dimitri in chapter 11?!_**


	11. Family

_**This is it, folks... Are you ready for Dimitri?**_

 _ **(And maybe one or two other 'eek'-worthy characters as well!)**_

* * *

 **11\. Family**

Rose stared at the Coo'-tsa chief across the fire - the situation so bizarre it felt like a dream.

'I am honoured that you would welcome me into your tribe...,' the deputy paused, wondering how to refuse the invitation without causing offence.

'She doesn't want to stay, I-wi'-nit'-uh,' a soft voice interrupted, and Rose saw that the Indian woman seated next to the chief was studying her with unmasked interest. 'See how her spirit is restless. She would not be happy here.'

Chief I-wi'-nit'-uh glanced at the woman beside him then shifted his gaze back to their guest, viewing her with new eyes.

'You are right, Wee-ut-sa-ya-tih,' he decided. 'I would have liked another warrior to help defend our boarders, but we cannot have this one bringing discord to our people. What is your name, girl?'

'Rose... Rose Belikov,' she answered, beginning to feel nervous.

Just because they didn't want her to stay, it didn't necessarily mean that she was free to leave.

'Greetings, Rose Belikov,' the chief said her name slowly, as though it felt strange and foreign on his tongue. 'You will stay with us for two days. On the third day you will leave and you will not come back. My people built this village as a refuge from the outside world, and you are of that world. You must return to where you belong or you will bring trouble to us all... Cah-dus'-cah-t'i-ti?' he beckoned for the young man who had delivered Rose and Nic to the refuge.

'Yes, father,' Joshua stepped forward, waiting for orders.

'Take our guest with you and see to her horse. When you are done, bring her back here and the women will take care of her until she leaves.'

Rose didn't want to remain in the Coo'-tsa village for another two days, but the look on Chief I-wi'-nit'-uh's grave, tattooed face made it clear that arguing was futile. Getting up from her chair, Deputy Belikov thanked the chief for his hospitality then followed Joshua out of the cone-shaped hut and fell into step beside him.

'So... your dad is the chief?' Rose asked the young Indian brave, keeping pace with him as he led her horse towards the lake at the far end of the village. 'Does that make you a prince or something?'

Joshua shook his head sternly, answering in a quiet, silken voice that sometimes tripped in rhythm as he was searching for the right word.

'We have no name for prince in our language. As the son of the chief it is my birthright to become the leader of the Coo'-tsa, but others may challenge my claim if they can prove they are stronger and more fit to rule than me.'

Rose glanced at the young warrior beside her. He wasn't especially tall, but his physique was impeccable; strong, supple limbs filling out his fringed buckskin jacket and trousers very nicely, while the the bone, hairpipe breastplate that hung from his neck accentuated the breadth of his chest and shoulders. He carried himself with a certain regal confidence - though there was no trace of arrogance or cockiness in his manner - and Rose had already seen how effective his calm, commanding presence had been at diffusing the situation between herself and Angeline.

'I think you'll make a good chief,' she observed, smiling in encouragement.

A strange look flickered behind Joshua's brown-black eyes and he seemed to puff his chest out a little at her words.

'I will do whatever is required to be a good leader to my people,' he declared proudly. 'My father has worked all his life to build this village for our tribe, and each new member that joins us becomes a part of our family. I will not let them down.'

Arriving at the lake, they followed the bank around to the right until they came to a fenced off corral. Joshua opened the gate and led the horse inside, followed by Rose and, finally, one of the camp dogs. The animal had been tailing them for some time, it's nose glued suspiciously to the hemline of Rose's dress, and now it circled around to stand in front of the stranger - growling in warning when she reached out to pat it.

' _Dit'-tih! Da'-a-wi-nah_!' Joshua called crisply, and the dog ran to its master; sitting obediently at his feet and leaning its head into the the familiar hand that smoothed over its fur.

'Well, it looks like you've got one loyal subject already,' Rose quipped.

The chief's son allowed himself a wry smile.

'I've always had a way with animals,' he explained. 'My mother's people have bred hunting dogs for generations, and my father's people are horsemen. I could ride a horse before I could run. My father even named me Cah-dus'-cah-t'i-ti because he said I reminded him of a little buckskin horse, playing in the long grass with my dark mane chasing behind me.'

He clicked his tongue and a horse with a beautiful golden-tan coat cantered up to them; tossing its black mane playfully before nuzzling at the Indian's shoulder.

Rose smiled, the resembalence between the pair unmistakable.

'So if you're named after a horse then I guess Angeline is some kind of wild-cat?' she asked innocently, her smile widening to a grin when she saw Joshua's serious face spark with mischief.

'Not a wild-cat, no,' he chuckled. 'She is called Ja-ca-do'-ah-ha-e-may - our word for the chaparral bird.'

The deputy hadn't heard of it.

'Roadrunner, I think you call it,' Joshua clarified. 'She always wants to get from one place to another as fast as possible. If it wasn't for our family and this tribe keeping her feet on the ground she would fly away from here and probably never return.'

Rose smiled instinctively - thinking that the name suited Angeline perfectly - but her companion frowned.

'You understand why it's important that she stays, don't you?' he asked gravely. 'All around us, tribes like ours are being uprooted from their lands and forced together in this place they call 'Indian Territory'. It is our fear that one day, even _this_ land will be taken from us, and all our traditions and our languages will fade away and be lost forever. We cannot allow that to happen. We must stay together as a family and a tribe - to preserve the memories of our ancestors and secure a future for our people.'

'I understand,' Rose answered seriously, and neither of them talked for a while as they set about freeing Rose's horse from the saddle and the various bags and equipment that were weighing it down.

Once the tack was stored away, Joshua saw that the horse was fed and watered then returned to Rose.

'You look tired,' he observed. 'It's time I returned you to my mother and she will find a place for you to sleep. Here... Let me help you.'

He took the saddlebags and hoisted them over his shoulder, leaving her to carry the bedroll and medical satchel.

'I want to see how Nic is going first,' Rose amended, setting back towards the main part of camp. 'Where have they taken him?'

Joshua looked at her strangely.

'I'm sorry, but you are female. Bah-te-nah'-win's tent is a sacred place and you are not permitted to enter.'

Deputy Belikov bristled with annoyance - a fact that didn't escape Joshua's notice.

'There is no need to worry,' he assured her. 'I will check on Nic and let you know if there is any change. All _you_ need to do is relax. Our medicine man is wise and skilled. Your friend is in safe hands.'

They arrived back at the chief's hut and Rose was passed into the hands of Joshua's mother. Shooing her son out of the tent, Wee-ut-sa-ya-tih took her guest by the arm and led her past a woven-grass partition that screened the general living area from the sleeping quarters.

'Sleep here,' she pointed to a low bed on one side of the hut, which was covered with a thick buffalo-hide blanket.

'It's okay,' Rose shook her head, holding up her bedroll. 'I have my own things. I don't want to impose...'

The woman waved her hand and tutted.

'You are our guest. The bed is yours. Angeline will take the floor.'

Rose suspected Angeline wouldn't take very kindly to that idea, but the bed _did_ look comfortable and warm, and it would probably be considered impolite to argue with the wife of the chief.

'Thank you,' she accepted the offer graciously, then waited for the woman to leave so she could get ready for bed.

When Joshua's mother didn't leave, Rose faced the wall of the hut to strip down to her underclothes; laying the dress she'd been wearing on the end of the bed. She was searching in her bag for some nightclothes when the black woman she'd seen by the fire earlier entered the room carrying a pair of buckskin leggings and a simple hide dress that fell to mid-thigh like a tunic.

The newcomer introduced herself as Paulette - Chief I-wi'-nit'-uh's second wife - then held the clothing out for Rose to inspect.

'For you,' she smiled, then both women helped her dress, stepping back to admire their work when they were done.

'Now you are Coo'-tsa,' Wee-ut-sa-ya-tih announced proudly, urging the weary traveller into bed and drawing the buffalo-hide blanket up over her legs.

Paulette disappeared briefly then returned with a cup of something warm and bitter.

'To help you sleep, darlin',' she pressed it into Rose's cold-nipped hands, and when the drink had been drained to the last drop, the chief's wives left to go about their daily business.

Rose watched them go - briefly wondering about the logistics of two women being married to the same man and living under the same roof - but seconds later her eyelids grew heavy and she left all her questions and troubles behind her.

* * *

Deputy Belikov awoke to the smell of food cooking.

'Is it lunch time?' she mumbled, blinking around groggily to see Angeline standing by the foot of her bed.

'Hardly,' the girl shot her a scornful look. 'You've slept a whole day and night. It's Monday morning and it's breakfast time. Come and eat. A group of us are riding off-camp today, and thanks to my brother inviting you, you're coming too. Don't be late or we'll leave you behind.'

Angeline took off with a toss of her dark, loose hair and Rose scrambled out of bed.

If she'd already slept away her first day at the Coo'-tsa settlement, that meant she would be able to leave camp tomorrow to resume her hunt for Dimitri. (And, as kind as Chief's I-wi'-nit'-uh's wives had been yesterday, Rose knew she'd much rather spend her last day in Indian Territory out riding with Joshua and Angeline than stuck in a hut with a couple of middle-aged women.)

'Can we stop past the medicine man's hut on the way to the horses?' Rose asked Joshua when breakfast was over. 'I want to see how Nic is going.'

'He's fine,' Angeline cut in rudely as she walked past them, flouncing out of the hut and heading for the corral.

Somebody was clearly still upset about being bested by an outsider - and a white woman at that!

'You must be worried for your friend,' her brother answered more diplomatically. 'He's been moved to my tent. We can stop in for a short visit now if you like?'

The deputy nodded gratefully and a minute later, the pair were approaching a small ti-pi that was pitched close in the shadow of the larger grass-clad dwelling.

'My mother's people stayed in tents like this,' Joshua said as they stood outside the entrance. 'Coo'-tsa boys live in the big hut with their family, but when I became a man I wanted a place for myself. I made this when I was sixteen,' he announced proudly, his dark eyes glittering when he saw that his guest was impressed. 'When I take a wife I will build her a proper hut with a good floor and so many buffalo hides she will never feel the cold.'

'Sounds like she'll be one lucky girl,' Rose smiled warmly.

The young brave's chest swelled at the compliment and he darted forward to hold the tent-flap open so she could to enter.

'Rose!' Nic's voice was a little strained but he sounded so much better than the day before.

'Nic!' Deputy Belikov hurried to his bedside, stepping over the furs on the ground where Joshua must have slept last night. 'How are you feeling?'

'I think I'm going to pull through,' he grinned, apparently amused by the sight of Rose in full tribal costume. 'The medicine man says my arm should heal enough to use in a few weeks!'

'That's amazing,' Rose beamed. 'I'm so happy for you. When I make it to Fort Smith I'll get word to Denis and let him know you're alright.'

'You can do better than that,' Nic's eyes danced with excitement. 'Tamara's here!' he blurted out, grinning from ear to ear. 'She made it too... and the women say she is with child! Denis is going to be a father... and I'm going to be an uncle!'

There were no words to express her joy, so the deputy threw her arms around Nic instead; remembering at the last second that he was badly wounded and she shouldn't squeeze him too tightly.

'We should go now,' Joshua stood by the doorway, looking uncomfortable, and perhaps a little jealous.

'Of course,' Rose glanced over to him and stood back from the bed. 'Well, rest up today, Nic, and I'll see you when we return. Joshua is taking me for a ride out to the Coo'-tsa boarders. We should be back... before dark?' she double-checked with her guide, and the Indian brave nodded, pleased that she had turned to him for advice.

'We'll see you at dinner, Nic,' he confirmed, then ushered Rose out of the tent and walked her to the horses.

* * *

Including the deputy, eight riders left the Coo'-tsa settlement that morning and headed north-west; back to the lake that Rose and Nic had passed the day before. Everybody dismounted when they reached a wooded spot along the water's edge and Joshua issued a series of commands to his tribesmen in their native tongue.

Fanning out on foot, the others arranged themselves into a wide semi circle along the tree line and Rose watched in surprise and alarm as each of them knelt down to press a cone shaped object against the ground; causing a ring of fire to blaze up from the long grass at their feet.

'Are you crazy?' Rose demanded, as Joshua lit a small fire only a foot away from where she was standing. 'You'll have us all burnt to cinders!'

The chief's son bit back a smile.

'We're downwind. The fire cannot harm us,' he reassured her, pointing out how the flames moved slowly against the wind. 'We clear this line first so the fire doesn't jump into the woods along the water. When the ground is scorched and the flames are beaten out, we will start another line of fire upwind that will blow towards the treeline and clear this whole area.'

'But why?' the deputy gazed forlornly at the lakeside oasis. 'It's so beautiful.'

Joshua must have lost concentration, because one moment he was looking at Rose, and the next moment he was stamping out a patch of flame that had crept a little too close to his moccasins for comfort.

'For hunting,' he explained, grateful that she hadn't noticed his slip in focus. 'When all this is cleared, new grass will sprout. Wild ducks like eating the fresh shoots, and bigger game will come to graze and drink from the water. We will eat well when the spring comes, without needing to range too far from our borders and risk the safety of our warriors crossing into hostile lands.'

'How clever!' Rose was genuinely impressed.

'What can I say?' Joshua tried not to look too pleased with himself. 'My people are pretty smart.'

The group moved upwind to light the main fire and Rose found herself smiling as the flames picked up and raced towards the water.

'Christian will be _so_ jealous when I tell him about this!' she explained, when the chief's son come over to see what she was grinning about.

The young man narrowed his eyes a fraction.

'Christian? Is that your sweetheart?' he asked with forced casualness.

Rose laughed out loud.

'Not on your life! Christian is my best friend's husband. He has a thing about lighting fires.'

'A... pyromaniac?' Joshua pronounced the word hesitantly.

'You know the word _pyromaniac_?' the woman's eyebrows shot upwards. 'Where did you learn to speak English so well?'

He was going to answer but changed his mind - jogging off instead to have a brief word with his sister. Angeline shot a look of disdain at Rose then shouted an order to the rest of the group, who all fanned out a little wider apart.

'Want a water break?' Joshua returned promptly, beckoning Rose away from the fire and leading her around to the next curve of the lake so they could refill their waterskins.

Sitting on a flat rock by the lakeside, they were both sipping at the drinks when Joshua finally remembered to answer Rose's question.

'Bah-te-nah'-win was the one who taught me English,' he informed her. 'Our medicine man... He is my father's uncle.'

That came as a surprise to Rose. Bah-ten-nah-win was so pale compared to Joshua she never even considered that they might be related.

'When my great-grandmother was young, a white man came to her tribe. He didn't want to fight or trade. He said his people believed that Indians were savage animals and he'd been sent to find out if we could be made to be civilized like them. Instead of staying with us and learning our ways, he put a baby in my great-grandmother's belly, and when the child was born, he took him away to train him to dress and speak and think like a white man. They called him Robert Dashley - after his father - and my family didn't see him again for many years.'

Rose stiffened. Dashley? The chances of him being any relation to Victor and Natalie were minute, but the thought still made her uneasy.

'Robert returned to our people when he was a young man - angry and confused because of the way he'd been treated by his white family. Even my great-grandmother could not ease the darkness in his spirit, but her tribe had a wise medicine man who saw the hidden strength in him. After many years learning the stories and wisdom of our tribe, Robert took over as medicine man and chose a new name for himself; Bah-te-nah'-win. It means _whirlwind_. Just like the story of our ancestor who could capture the lost spirits of the dead in a whirlwind and bring them back to life, Bah-te-nah'-win was returned to our people as if from the grave.'

The deputy pondered over the story, her eyes stinging from the smoke that drifted over the water.

'I wish a whirlwind would come right now and help me find the one I lost,' she admitted quietly. 'My husband has been missing for two months. I've travelled nearly two-thousand miles to find him but no matter how close I get it's still too far away.'

Joshua flinched, his waterskin halfway to his mouth.

'Your husband?'

'Dimitri,' Rose said the name reverently, unaware of the crestfallen look in her companion's eyes. 'He was attacked and taken by Confederate rebels. As soon as I leave here tomorrow, I'll be heading north to Fort Smith to ask if they have any news of him.'

The young Indian stoppered his water-bottle and turned to Rose with a frown.

'If your husband was taken by Confederates, then why are you going to a Union outpost? Why not head east for Memphis? It's a big city, held by the Confederate Army. If you ask at their fort, they might have information about your husband.'

Rose nodded slowly, a stern, hopeful expression spreading across her face.

'Well, I _did_ have some other business to attend to at Fort Smith, but I can always send a few telegrams from Memphis,' she thought aloud. 'Yes. I'll do it. Thanks for the idea!'

For the second time that morning, Deputy Belikov flung her arms around an unsuspecting man, and Joshua stiffened awkwardly; secretly wishing the embrace had been under different circumstances.

'Come on then,' he freed himself from Rose's arms and stood up; taking her hand to help her down from the rock they'd been sitting on, but not letting go right away. 'We should get back to the others or my sister will start spreading stories about why we took so long to fill our waterskins.'

Rose laughed good-naturedly then her eyes widened in understanding. Being so far from town, she hadn't even considered the usual rules of propriety, and now she came to think of it, her friendliness could probably be misconstrued as something more.

'I'm sorry,' she stammered, pulling her hand away quickly. 'I should never have hugged you, Joshua. And I was just telling you about Dimitri,' her cheeks flamed in embarrassment. 'You must think so poorly of me...'

Joshua shook his head, gazing at her in admiration.

'I think you are an incredible woman, and your husband is very lucky to have you,' he paused, reaching out to brush his fingertips against hers, and when he spoke again his silken voice had dropped to a husky whisper. 'But if you don't find him, there will always be a place for you here. With us... With me.'

Rose took a step backwards, her hand flying to the sheriff's badge pinned beneath her furs - just above her heart.

'I'm going to find Dimitri - I just _know_ it,' she declared passionately. 'But even if I don't, there is no man on this earth for me but him.'

Joshua didn't appear to be upset by her reaction. If anything, he admired Rose even more for her loyalty and faithfulness.

'You love him. I understand,' he shrugged, holding her gaze with his soulful brown eyes so she couldn't look away. '...But if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me,' he graced the white woman with a soft, fleeting smile then turned away, calling back over his shoulder for her to follow him. 'Come, Dimitri's wife. The fire is still burning. We should go and help the others.'

* * *

Rose had planned to leave at first light the next day, but something happened that delayed her departure until mid-morning.

'Wait another hour. Please?' Nic begged, when the deputy stopped in to say goodbye. 'Chief I-wi'-nit'-uh has invited me to join the Coo'-tsa and I have decided to stay. There will be a full welcome ceremony later tonight, but this morning Bah-te-nah'-win is going to perform a small ceremony to give me my first tribal tattoo. It would mean a lot to me if you could be there.'

Deputy Belikov was chafing at the bit to leave for Memphis - and hopefully fresh news of Dimitri - but Nic had such a pleading look on his face she couldn't bring herself to turn him down.

'I wouldn't miss it for the world,' she nodded in support, and a short time later a messenger arrived; announcing that it was time for the ritual to began.

There was nothing 'small' about the ceremony. The whole community gathered to see their newest member receive his first mark, and as Rose looked around at the many faces, ages and colours represented, she felt such a strong a sense of family among them that it brought tears to her eyes.

When it was over, Nic came up to her, proudly pulling the neck of his jacket open to show off the small, circular symbol that was tattooed on his chest; with four lines intersecting it and a heavy dot at its centre.

'It means _home_ ,' he whispered, his face a picture a disbelief and gratitude.

'Well, you deserve one,' Rose smiled in encouragement then left him to be with his people - noticing somebody across the crowd of well-wishers that she had been meaning to speak with.

'Bah-te-nah'-win?'

Deputy Belikov approached the medicine man cautiously, and the old man turned to look at her a moment before she spoke - as if he'd known she was coming.

'Can you mark me as well? I need two crosses,' she pushed her hair aside to show him the back of her neck. 'They're for...'

'I know what they're for,' his watery-brown eyes looked into her soul, and Rose got the uncomfortable feeling that he knew everything about her.

'Sit,' he told her, and she obeyed; calming her breathing in preparation for what was to come.

Bah-te-nah'-win worked slowly, and Rose felt every tap of the needle that pierced her skin, but she didn't once move or make a sound. She closed her eyes; thinking of the Indian she'd shot in her fight to save Pavel, and the Confederate soldier who'd attacked her only a few days ago. As she remembered their faces, there was no hatred or vengeance in her heart; only gratefulness that she had survived and still had the chance to see Dimitri again.

'Lost spirits can be brought back.'

The deputy's eyes flew open and she sat very still, wondering if she'd imagined him speaking.

'What do you mean?' she prompted.

The old man put down his tools and dipped the pad of his thumb into a dish of dark plant dye; smearing it over the reddening flesh on Rose's neck.

'You know what I mean,' he said in a voice older than time. 'And if you don't already know, you will soon.'

With her tattoos completed, Rose stood quickly; feeling suddenly anxious to leave.

'Thank you, Bah-te-nah'-win,' she dipped her head in respect and a little fear, and began to back away from him.

'Ask Wee-ut-sa-ya-tih for the carrot flower and chasteberry.'

'Pardon?' she paused, not understanding his meaning.

The medicine man looked across to where Joshua's mother was talking with a group Coo'-tsa women and refused to say another word.

'Wee-ut-sa-ya-tih?' Rose approached the older woman hesitantly, aware that all the ladies had stopped their conversation to look at her.

'Yes, child?'

'Um... Bah-te-nah'-win said I should ask you for the carrot flower and chasteberry before I go... I'm not hungry though, so if you don't have any it's fine,' she finished lamely, hoping it didn't sound like she was begging for food.

A few of the women exchanged meaningful glances, but Wee-ut-sa-ya-tih moved into action at once; taking Rose by the hand and pulling her towards her hut.

'Paulette? Come with us?' she called softly over her shoulder, and as soon as the three women were alone together, the chief's first wife took charge.

'I will wait with Rose. Paulette, our guest needs the _k'-ah-yu'-tsi_ mix. Please make up a pouch for her to take with her.'

Rose stood by the low-burning fire to one side of the hut; watching impatiently as Paulette disappeared into the sleeping area and returned a few minutes later carrying a leather drawstring pouch.

'What is it?' the deputy sniffed gingerly at the contents of the bag; a roughly-ground powder that smelled faintly of peppermint.

'For the baby,' Wee-ut-sa-ya-tih smiled, pulling the drawstring tight and closing Rose's fingers around the pouch.

Her words were met by shocked silence.

'But I don't have a baby,' Rose finally managed, her breathing so shallow she thought she might faint. 'I can't...'

Paulette laid a reassuring hand on the younger woman's arm.

'Mix this with hot water and drink it every day for a month, and you _will_ have a baby,' she instructed gently. 'I should know. It's how I had my little ones.'

Rose shook her head vigorously, afraid to allow herself to hope.

'But there's no point,' she argued. 'I don't even know where my husband is. Last I heard he was heading for the Confederate frontlines. What if he's gotten caught up in the fighting? What if he's killed before I see him again?

Wee-ut-sa-ya-tih took Rose firmly by the shoulders and turned her towards the door.

'Well, you'd better find him quickly, then,' she advised. 'What are you waiting for, child? Go!'

Deputy Belikov didn't waste another second.

* * *

Rose rode out of camp shortly afterwards, with Joshua guiding the way ahead of her and Angeline bringing up the rear. Chief I-wi'-nit'-uh had insisted that their guest be granted the protection of the tribe until she reached the edge of Coo'-tsa territory, and for the rest of that day the three riders pressed eastward through the wooded ridges of the Ouachita forest until the dwindling light required them to stop.

The group talked quietly over their dinner - Angeline even loosening up enough to ask if she could have a hold of the deputy's pistol - and when Rose finally snuggled down under her blanket, she felt her heart leap in her chest. Tonight was a new moon - the thirty-first of December. Tomorrow would be first day of a new year and she decided it was going to be a much better year than the last one.

The three riders took off again at first light and it wasn't long before they reached the edge of the forest.

'This is as far as we can take you,' Joshua eased his horse to a stop and swung down to the ground, waiting for Rose to do the same. 'See the river in the distance? The town of Little Rock sits just to the north of that bend. Memphis is a three day's ride from Little Rock, but there is a faster way. Look beyond the river...'

Rose squinted and saw two dark lines disappearing towards the horizon.

'What is that?' she asked.

'Railroad,' Angeline's face was a strange mixture of wistfulness and disdain. 'You've never seen something go so fast. If you take the train you should be in Memphis by tomorrow.'

Tomorrow? After so many delays and setbacks, it was as if time had suddenly sped up.

'I should be on my way then. Thank you - for everything,' Rose looked from Angeline to Joshua. 'I wish there was something I could do for you in return.'

'You could let me keep your gun?' Angeline suggested, but Joshua glared at her and she took the hint that she wasn't wanted; wandering away to collect some mushrooms she'd spied growing on a nearby tree.

'You owe us nothing,' the chief's son shook his head gravely. 'It has been a privilege meeting you, Rose Belikov. I know my father said you weren't to return, but if you ever need help, or if, one day, you wish to come and live with me, I will make certain that you are welcomed by the whole tribe. Here... take this.'

He removed a leather bracelet from his wrist and fastened it around Rose's arm.

'The markings underneath are for me, my family and my tribe,' he flipped the leather band over and pointed out three symbols; a horse, a fan of eagle feathers and a segmented circle that looked a lot like Nic's tattoo. 'Show these marks to anyone in this forest and they will bring you to me...'

Rose was about to remind him that her place was with Dimitri, but Joshua shook his head.

'Even if we never meet again, I want you to keep it. To remember me... as your friend, and ally.'

'As if I could ever forget you, Cah-dus'-cah-t'i-ti,' Rose clutched his hand briefly, and they parted without any other words - neither looking back as they each set out towards their own true purpose.

* * *

One stage coach, two trains, and three river crossings later, Deputy Belikov stepped foot on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River late the next afternoon - feeling naked without her horse and gear.

With her savings dwindling, Rose had sold her horse and rifle back in Little Rock to pay for the train ticket to Memphis, and to cover any food and accommodation expenses for the next few weeks. Her tent and saddlebags had been traded for a new pair of button-up boots and a sturdy travel case that contained her coat and trousers (a dress was more appropriate for the city, but perhaps they would come in handy again later); her spare knife and pistol; the pouch of herbs from Paulette and Wee-ut-sa-ya-tih; and Adrian's blank check (to be used only in case of emergency).

Rose scanned the dockside, considering her next move.

Given the late hour, she knew it was important to find suitable lodgings before night fell, but instead of joining the stream of pedestrians, carts and carriages headed towards the city centre, the deputy saw a knot of grey-coated soldiers leaving the riverside and decided to follow them. If the Confederate fort was close-by, she intended to make enquiries about Dimitri right away.

'No civilians admitted, ma'am - not without written approval from the commanding officer,' the soldier at the gates refused her entry without even hearing her request.

'But I'm _not_ a civilian,' Rose argued boldly, unpinning the sheriff's badge from the underside of her dress's collar to show him. 'I'm the deputy of Saint's Town in Nevada Territory and I'm here on official business. My sheriff has gone missing and I have reason to believe he is in the company of a Sergeant Forrest. I require access to your personnel records so I can find out where the sergeant is currently stationed.'

The guard wasn't interested.

'Nice try lady. If you're after a free feed, we've got nothing to spare. If you're whoring, try somewhere else. Only Lady Scarlett's girls are allowed in, and you're too plain to be one of hers.'

The deputy's eyes flashed with indignation at the double-barreled insult but she managed to control her temper.

'I'm telling you the truth,' she said through gritted teeth. 'My _husband_ , Dimitri Belikov, went missing in November last year. I've tracked him this far and my next step is locating Sergeant Forrest. If you can just let me in, I'll...'

'So it's your _husband_ that's missing now, is it?' the soldier was instantly suspicious and his hand moved to the sword at his hip. 'Last time you said it was your sheriff. Why change your story? Are you a Yankee spy?'

The harsh tone to his voice alerted a nearby guard that trouble was brewing. Breaking away from his conversation with a wealthy-looking woman who was just leaving the fort, the second soldier stood opposite his comrade to block Rose's way if she tried to escape.

On the inside Deputy Belikov let out of bitter scream of frustration, but on the outside she forced herself to smile.

'If I was I spy, I wouldn't be a very good one, would I?' she challenged. 'Do spies often come knocking at the front gates of your fort simply asking to be let inside so they can steal vital military intelligence?'

'You think treason is something to joke about?' the first man scowled at her. 'Well, how about I arrest you on suspicion of being a traitor and a spy, and _then_ we'll see who's laughing.'

'Easy, boys. She's one of mine,' the well-dressed lady had been listening to their conversation and decided that now was a good time to intervene.

She didn't seem a likely match for two fully-armed Confederate soldiers, but this woman possessed a very different arsenal of weapons and was clearly an expert at wielding them. Her body swayed teasingly as she approached, making her modest jacket and skirt seem almost vulgar. Her lips and cheeks were far rosier than they deserved to be for a woman of her age, and the tower of red hair that was artfully piled on top of her head gave her an air of elegance and authority that made up for her deficiency in height. Positioning herself so that her hip brushed against the first soldier's uniform, the prostitute ran her hand over his arm and he immediately lost grip of his sword; placing himself at her mercy.

'Poor girl lost her husband in the Battle of Belmont a few months back,' the woman explained, with a sad shake of her head towards Rose. 'She's taking a little time to adjust, sweet dove, but I'll soon have her as good as new - you'll see... Come on, pet. Bring your things,' she cooed, stepping away from the soldier to wrap a protective arm around Rose's shoulders. 'We're going home now, dear. That's it. Into the carriage. There you go. Driver - take us home.'

Deputy Belikov watched through the carriage window as the soldiers and the fort grew smaller in the distance, then turned on her rescuer with a frown.

'I didn't need any help. I was doing fine on my own.'

'Oh, _really_?'

The woman's knowing expression only irritated Rose further.

'Who are you and where are you taking me?' she demanded. 'I had important business at the fort so you'd better have a good reason for interfering.'

The woman tilted her head to the side, intrigued by the stray she'd just collected.

'Belikov... That's a Russian name, isn't it?' she asked.

The deputy forgot her tiredness and frustration in an instant; sitting forward in her seat and searching the stranger's face for answers.

'Yes, it's Russian. You've heard that name before, haven't you? You've heard of Dimitri?'

'Maybe. Maybe not...,' the lady held up a hand for Rose to wait. 'I'll tell you what I know, pet, but first things first. You are...?'

'Rose. Rosemarie Belikov,' she answered hastily. 'Everything I told the soldiers was true. I just want to find my husband. He's injured and I need to get him back home safely to Saint's Town... Now it's your turn. Who are you, and what have you heard about Dimitri?'

The older woman's lashes flared with recognition at Rose's name and hometown, but she quickly masked her suspicions by assuming the practiced, easy manner she'd mastered in the course of her trade.

'Who am I?' she laughed lightly. 'I am known by many names. Most people simply call me Madam. The gentlemen with whom I share an... intimate acquaintance call me Lady Scarlett - not that my name is Scarlett, of course, but I have a certain reputation as a natural redhead and men come from far and wide to experience it for themselves.'

Her eyes dipped meaningfully to her lap then back up again as if nothing untoward had happened.

'To my closest companions I'm Scarlett Jane, which is closer to the truth, I suppose. I even had a husband once who called me Jenny, but that was a _long_ time ago.'

'I've heard of you...,' the deputy's forehead wrinkled. 'The madam who runs the brothel in Argenta told me about you. Aunt Rhonda. She said I should look you up if I needed someplace to stay.'

'Aah. Rhonda,' Jane reminisced. 'A dear friend. We worked together back in the forties, and still write one-another from time to time. Is she well?'

'She's fine,' Rose was growing impatient. 'Look, can we talk about Rhonda later? You said you knew something about Dimitri...'

The madam sighed, repositioning herself on the carriage seat and adjusting the fur stole around her shoulders.

'The Confederate States Army has regiments stationed all over Tennessee. I can't say I care much for the fighting,' she added confidentially, 'but let me tell you this; war is good for business. I've got girls working round the clock here in Memphis, and I've even had to lend doves to other establishments that can't keep up with the demand.'

'What's that got to do with Dimitri?' Deputy Belikov scowled.

'If you'll just let me finish, I'll tell you,' Jane reminded her to be patient. 'About a fortnight ago, I sent some fresh girls up to Paris to service a cavalry regiment camped along the Tennessee River. Their commanding officer - a Sergeant James Forrest - requested a special dove as a gift for one of his most valued soldiers... the one they call the Russian Devil, or Forrest's Mad Dog. The sergeant said she had to be cuvatious, with long, dark hair, sparkling brown eyes and answer to the name of Roza. One of my new girls was a reasonable pass for the description, so I sent Miss Kelly Hayes to take care of the man's needs.'

Bile soured the back of Rose's throat.

'And did she?' she asked thickly.

Jane shrugged.

'I couldn't rightly say. Miss Kelly never came back to the carriage when it was due to return to Paris. They found her a few days later, washed up on the banks of the Tennessee. Her throat was cut. That's all I know.'

'Stop the carriage,' Rose hissed urgently.

She felt trapped. She had to get out or she was going to...

'No,' Lady Scarlett refused calmly.

'No?' Deputy Belikov looked like she was about to explode.

'Look at me, Rosemarie,' the madam reached forward to touch the deputy's knee, snapping her out of her rising panic. 'Think with your head, not your heart. I can see that you want to go after your husband and prove me wrong, but sleep on it tonight. If you still want to go to the Paris encampment in the morning, I know a way to get you past the guards. I've got a fresh batch of doves heading up there tomorrow. You can go as one of them - if you're not too proud to be seen as working girl, that is.'

Dimitri. Tomorrow. For better or for worse, Rose knew she had to face him and find out for herself what he had truly become.

'Of course I'll go,' she whispered roughly. 'But just so we're clear... why are you helping me? What's in it for you?'

Lady Scarlett pursed her lips.

'I don't know what happened between Kelly Hayes and the Russian Devil, but I know how it ended and I want to make certain that that man never harms one of my girls again. They're the only family I have now, and it is my duty to protect them. I want him stopped, Rosemarie - before anyone else gets hurt. Can you do it?'

* * *

That night, Deputy Belikov slept in a whore's bed, and after breakfast the next morning, an excited group of soiled doves crowded into Rose's room to help her dress.

The deputy blushed furiously as the girls stripped her down and scrubbed her from head to toe, then dabbed a strongly scented perfume on her neck, wrists and between her breasts. Next, she was decked out in a set of lacy undergarments, and her corset pulled so tight she could barely breathe. With her black stockings secured by ruffled silk garters, and her boots buttoned, Rose was threading her wedding ring onto her necklace for safekeeping when the madam entered the room carrying a dress for her newest dove; the material a shade of crimson that was guaranteed to draw attention, and the neckline low enough to reveal the top of the wearer's lace covered breasts.

The girls all looked up curiously as Scarlett Jane halted inside the doorway, unable to tear her gaze away from the blue bead on the deputy's necklace.

'Everybody out,' she ordered sharply, and the doves scattered - leaving Rose alone with the madam.

'Where did you get that?' Jane crossed the room swiftly; casting Rose's dress onto the bed and snatching the necklace out of her hands.

'My father gave it to me,' Rose watched with alarm as the woman walked towards the window - worried she might be intending to throw the necklace out into the street. 'Can I have that back please?... It's mine. I need it.'

Lady Scarlett grasped the trinket a few moments longer then turned to the deputy with an expression of defeat.

'I tried so hard to keep you away from him,' she muttered, dropping the necklace into Rose's open palm and looking away again.

'You tried to...?' Rose baulked, her mind and heart suddenly racing. 'You... Are you my _mother_?'

The madam turned to meet her gaze; her painted eyes haunted with regret.

'Don't call me that, Rosemarie. I haven't been a mother to you in a long, long time.'

'What should I call you then?' Rose whispered, wanting to scream accusations at the woman who'd abandoned her, but also wanting to throw her arms around her and try to make up for the years they'd lost.

'Janine will be fine,' the madam instructed matter-of-factly, already starting to regain her own sense of control. 'Come now, child. There's no need to get emotional. It's a shock for the both of us, but I'm sure each of us has made it through far worse things than this. Here. Let me help you on with your dress.'

When the garment was on, Janine urged Rose to sit, and there was a lengthy silence as the mother began running a brush through her daughter's dark, wavy hair.

'Why did you leave Abe?' Rose asked, when she could finally bring herself to speak.

The brushing stopped, then started again.

'Because the life he led was not safe or suitable for me to raise a child. He wouldn't change his life, so you and I couldn't be a part of it anymore.'

Rose was quiet for a long time and when her hair had been piled up into a loose bun, Janine moved away; dragging a second chair across to sit in front of her daughter so she could apply some colour to her face. Using an array of pots and paintbrushes, the madam powdered and rouged Rose's cheeks, darkened her lashes with the crushed remnants of burnt hairpins, and painted her lips a sinful cherry-red.

'Why did you leave _me_?' Rose asked quietly, when her mother paused to check her work.

Janine set her paintbrush down with a sigh.

'I couldn't find work to support you. When I did find work, well...,' she gestured around at the brothel room they were seated in. 'I didn't want you involved in this life. I knew Alberta would make a better mother to you than I ever would, so I left you with her.'

The madam packed away her box of cosmetics then helped Rose on with her travelling coat. It would take the girls a day and a half to get to the Paris encampment in Lady Scarlett's carriage, and the cold winter weather meant there would be few comforts along the way.

'Time to go, pet,' Janine ushered her towards the door.

'Not yet,' Rose stopped in the doorway, grabbing her mother's hands and holding on tight.

'I... I understand that you left me with Alberta to protect me, but I don't need protecting anymore. I'm a grown woman now. I have a job, a home and family of my own. Come back with me. You don't have live this life anymore. Nobody has to know where you've been. You can start again. You can be my mother if you want to.'

'No I can't,' the madam's eyes shone brightly but the set of her lips was determined. 'Like you said, Rosemarie. You don't need protecting anymore, but my doves do. What happened to Kelly Hayes isn't the only tragedy like that I've seen in my time. There are plenty of bad men in this world who want to hurt my girls and I need to be here to give them what little safety I can. You'll be fine on your own. You're strong. You get that from me,' she smiled bravely, and pushed her daughter towards the door.

'Now go on, child. You've got a job to do. Keep yourself safe... and whatever happens, know that I'm glad to have met you.'

'I'm glad I met you too, Janine,' Rose nodded in farewell - knowing that if she hugged her mother she'd never want to let her go - then she picked up her bags and headed downstairs to the carriage.

Janine had already chosen her family. Now Rose had to go and find hers.

* * *

All the way to Paris, Lady Scarlett's girls chatted lightly, but Rose couldn't bring herself to join their conversation; her mind too wound up in thoughts of the past, and the future. After what felt like a lifetime, they passed through the township of Paris then came to the military camp by the river. With her heart hammering in her chest, Rose stepped foot out of the carriage and looked around her. She'd reached the end of her journey. But what would she find waiting for her now she was here?

Within a minute of the doves' arrival, the ladies were swamped by soldiers - each honing in on the girl of his choice and vying for the attention.

'Fresh meat!' one of them joked, pinching the arm of the girl beside Rose, while another man slapped her rump.

'Me first!' another jostled in front of his comrades to squeeze her ample breast.

She giggled, fluttering her eyelashes at them.

'Officers first, remember,' she said coquettishly, 'but I promise I'll save a nibble for you fine gentlemen as well!'

A few paces away, Rose was suffering a similar treatment, and it took all she had not to knee one private in his privates when he sidled up behind her and clapped a hand on each of her buttocks, rubbing himself up against her in a lewd manner.

Pasting on a sneer that might have been mistaken for a smile under all her makeup, Rose looked over her shoulder and tilted her head on a teasing angle.

'Wait until you've paid for it, soldier,' she reprimanded lightly, but her words were lost as a deep, harsh voice cut over the clamour of the jostling crowd.

'If you like having your hands attached to your wrists, soldier, get them off her. Now.'

That voice! Rose knew that voice!

'Dimitri?' her heart leapt into her mouth as she whipped her head around - desperate to lay eyes on him.

With every nerve ending in her body screaming at her to run to him, Rose took an eager step forward than faltered and stopped.

The man standing before her looked a lot like Dimitri, but he wasn't _her_ Dimitri.

The leather duster had been replaced by a cavalryman's greatcoat that fell to mid-calf, which had two long, puckered scars on the sleeve and chest where the material appeared to have been slashed with a bladed weapon and later re-sewn. The soldier's hair was tied back - nearly invisible beneath his cowboy hat - and a dark, scraggly beard had overtaken his usually clean-shaven chin, giving him a wild and rugged appearance. A purple bruise on his right cheekbone shadowed the silver line where James Nathan's bullet had grazed him a year and a half earlier, and a row of matching abrasions on the knuckles of both hands suggested that he'd dealt out as much trouble as he'd received.

What Rose found most unnerving, though, were Dimitri's eyes. They bored right through her in a stare devoid of recognition or goodwill.

The man who looked like Dimitri stalked forwards, causing Rose's admirer to flee in fear, and everybody watched on in morbid fascination as the Russian turned his anger on the dark-haired prostitute.

'Dimitri?' Rose said his name again, her heart hammering as he closed the final step between them and grabbed her shoulders roughly. 'It's me. It's your Roza.'

'Don't lie to me, whore,' he growled, his gaze sweeping from her painted face to the low-cut dress she was wearing. 'The woman who owns that name is far, far away from here.'

A sick feeling churned through Rose's stomach. It was the bullet wound - it had addled his mind. He didn't know her anymore. He didn't remember her.

'I'm not lying, cowboy,' she persisted, reaching up to stroke his face.

He flinched at the familiar name.

'It's me. I came here to find you. I came to bring you home.'

'I don't believe you. This is just another trick,' one hand slid up from her shoulder to curl his fingers around her throat. 'Now, tell me who you are, imposter, or I'll snap your pretty neck.'

'My neck...' Rose choked, scrabbling against his hold with one hand and trying to tug at the back of her collar with the other. 'The marks... Natalie.'

Dimitri frowned at the name then released his grip, spinning her roughly away from him and yanking on the back of her dress to see the five small crosses that stood in memory of Rose's kills in battle.

'But you only had three,' he jostled her back around to face him, accusation and something more intense and primal darkening his features. 'You're not my Roza.'

Rose flinched as he dug his fingers into the tops of her arms and shook her like a naughty puppy.

'I _did_ have three crosses,' she explained hurriedly, 'but I took another two lives on the journey here. An Indian who killed my friend Pavel, and a Confederate soldier who refused to keep his hands to himself... I killed them because I needed to live - so I could get to you... It's me, cowboy,' she pleaded with him to remember, trying desperately not to cry. 'It's your Roza... It's me...'

Shock, disbelief, anger, pride and desire warred across Dimitri's face and his hands reached for her; cupping her cheeks and dragging her closer - his breathing harsh and uneven.

'It _is_ you,' Dimitri whispered roughly, his eyes drinking her in like he wanted to consume her. 'Roza. You're really here.'

She nodded, overwhelmed with relief but still afraid of him.

Dimitri gripped her tightly by the hand and turned to address the nervous crowd.

'This one is mine, you all hear? Mine,' his voice was soft and sinister. 'Touch her once, and you lose a hand. Touch her again and your life is forfeit. Now _move_!'

The crowd parted hastily as Dimitri tugged on his wife's hand to drag her away from the carriage, and Rose found herself stumbling after him - desperate to follow, yet afraid of what he might do in this agitated state.

'Move, Roza,' he hissed, his eyes fierce and possessive. 'If you're not out of that dress in the next five minutes I swear I will _kill_ the next man who looks at you. My tent. Now.'

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Over 9000 words of crazy reveals. Joshua, Indian herbal baby remedy, Robert Dashley, Janine, Dimitri. The whole story has been building to this point & now we're here!**_

 _ **The Keepers - I've based the Coo'-tsa tribal names on the Caddo language. This is a tonal language - so if you see an apostrophe after a syllable, it indicates that it should be pronounced with a 'high' tone. The word Coo'-tsa means 'to have or own'**_ ** _(i.e. to keep)_** _ **\- and it just happens to sound a bit like 'Keeper'.**_

 ** _Bah-te-nah'-win - Robert Dashley?! What does this mean?! Check out my Pinterest page (Llaria6) to see what he looks like. (Based on real life historical figure John Wilson)_**

 _ **Janine - Surprise - I've cast her as a guardian & a blood whore at the same time.**_

 _ **Dimitri - Holy Cow. What comes next? Remember, we're sticking to canon plotline (even if it is wildly out of order) so plenty of drama and Romitri sexy times to come.**_

 _ **Lisa/The Belikovas - I haven't forgotten them, I promise. Now Rose has found Dimitri she's going to be stuck in one place for a while so that will be the perfect opportunity to catch up with what's going on back at the ranch :)**_

 _ **Chapter 12 - I'll be writing my heart out at every possible moment, but heads up - I put my house on the market this week so real life might get a little crazy. Wish me luck for a quick sale & lots of cashola! Remember you can always send me a PM or connect with me on my Facebook page (Llaria6) to check how the next chapter is progressing :)**_

 _ **As always, your predictions/ideas/feedback are very welcome in the reviews!**_


	12. Dimitri

**_This is it – the moment of truth. Crossing my fingers that you like it!_**

 ** _(Warning: This chapter is LONG & contains serious lemony content you probably don't want your boss/teacher reading over your shoulder. You might want to find a quiet spot & grab a coffee so you can enjoy it without interruption :P)_**

* * *

 **12\. Dimitri**

Hustling his wife through the small military encampment, Dimitri stopped at a tent in the centre row and pushed Rose inside; removing his wide-brimmed hat and ducking his head to enter after her.

'How dare you shame me like this?' the soldier hissed as soon as the tent flap closed behind them - the space so cramped that they were practically standing on top of one another to avoid hitting their heads on the sloped canvas walls. '...Turning up dressed like a whore for the whole company to see? Get changed at once!'

He dropped the woman's bags at her feet and stepped back with his arms folded.

Rose bristled with indignation. This was not the reunion she'd imagined. She'd sacrificed everything to be here - friends, family, her responsibilities as deputy of Saint's Town, her health and her wellbeing - only to find a cold-hearted stranger in place of her husband. How could fate be so cruel?

'I _can't_ change,' she answered darkly, massaging her wrist that was still tender from being all but dragged across the campground. 'I have nothing else to wear - unless you want me to put on the trousers and jacket that Alberta had made up for me?'

Dimitri's eyes glinted with warning as he thought back to the first time he'd seen Rose in men's pants - her shapely thighs and round, firm buttocks out on brazen display.

'Absolutely not!' he growled. 'I'll find you something to cover yourself with,' the man's gaze dropped accusingly to the plunging neckline of her crimson dress.

Moving to his gear in the corner of the tent, Dimitri crouched to retrieve a thick, rolled-up bundle that was strapped to his knapsack then stood to shake it out.

'Your duster? You kept it?' Rose felt strangely relieved to see something so safe and familiar amidst all the strangeness.

'It's been a cold winter. Why throw it away?' Dimitri answered dismissively.

Rose's heart plummeted. Her husband had always loved that duster. It was the first thing he'd bought when he arrived in America, and he told her once that he'd vowed never to part with it because it would always remind him of their first journey together - when she had slept tucked snugly beneath his jacket and he had spent the whole night trying not to wonder how nice it would feel lying nestled in beside her.

But apparently that sentimental connection to the duster no longer existed.

Unaware of her musings, Dimitri approached his wife and began dressing her in his coat as if she were a small child; tucking the cuffs under at the wrist to shorten the sleeves, then shifting his focus to the row of buttons down her front.

'Why are you here, Rose?' his eyes flicked up at her as his fingers moved to the second button. 'I didn't ask you to follow me. I didn't _want_ you to follow me. It's too dangerous...'

She didn't hear anything beyond his initial question.

'What do you mean _why am I here_?' she squawked in disbelief, dropping her voice to an angry whisper when he cast a warning look towards the door of the tent. 'I'm your _wife_! You were shot in the head and abducted by Confederate rebels. Of _course_ I had to follow you! Do you have any idea how worried I've been...?'

'But I wasn't abducted,' Dimitri frowned, his hands pausing at the button between Rose's breasts.

The deputy couldn't accept what she was hearing.

'Yes you _were_! I was there when you were shot! I watched those rebels storm in and steal you away from me!'

'It was Union officers who attacked me - not Confederates,' Dimitri corrected sharply. 'Those boys saved me. If it wasn't for them taking care of me, I wouldn't be alive right now.'

'No they _didn't_ save you,' Rose grabbed the front of the soldier's long, woollen greatcoat, begging him to listen to reason.

'We were only a few hours from Fort Freemont when it happened. I could have sent for Doctor Sage and gotten you proper medical care... You could have been home now recovering - with me and your family looking after you - except those _reckless idiots_ kidnapped you and carried you off to the opposite side of the country to aid their own agenda. They weren't your friends, Dimitri. There was a price on your head and they just wanted to collect the bounty. It's a miracle the ride south didn't kill you!'

There was a minute change in Dimitri's eyes, but his expression remained unreadable.

'But it _didn't_ kill me,' he shrugged. 'So what's the problem?'

 _What's the problem?_ Rose screamed silently in frustration, tightening her grip on her husband's coat to resist the urge to slap some sense into him.

'Look, I understand that you were wounded,' she responded after a few gulps of air to steady herself, 'and you had no control over being taken... but why didn't you come home again once you were well enough to ride? Or at _least_ send word that you were alive?'

He didn't answer, and tears stung the back of Rose's eyes as all the worry and heartache of her journey finally caught up with her.

'Every morning for the last _two months_ I've woken up and wondered if you were dead,' she had to pull her lips tight to keep them from trembling. 'How could you do that to me, cowboy? I've been through hell and back to find you - and I'd willingly do it all again if I had to - but please... just tell me it wasn't all for nothing. Tell me you missed me too - even the smallest bit. Tell me you still need me like I need you. Tell me you still lo-...'

It was as if a trigger had been pulled.

The hardness in Dimitri's face transformed into a deep and urgent hunger, and he broke from his trance; his arms shooting out to cage Rose to his chest and his lips falling swiftly upon hers - brutal and uncompromising.

'Roza,' he muttered - drawing back briefly for air - and she cried out in shock and desperate need as his face dropped to hers once more and his tongue forced its way into her mouth.

'Dimit-,' she managed something between a gasp and a sob, but his mouth only grew more demanding.

Before, Dimitri had been fastening the duster to cover his wife's modesty, but now he was in such a rush to _un_ fasten it that one button burst from its thread and neither of them even looked to see where it landed.

Rose's eyes were closed - the intensity of the soldier's kisses overwhelming her senses - but Dimitri's were wide open; darting over his Roza's hair, face and throat as his hands slid purposefully beneath the loose leather jacket. Raking down her ribs to the narrowest point of her waist, his left hand halted at the flare of her lower back and pulled her hard against his body.

'I missed this,' he growled in satisfaction at Rose's needy whimper, his other hand moving upwards and moulding to one of her breasts - the heavy curve jutting out sharply over the top of her corset.

Rose hadn't meant to let things get this far, knowing in her head that this Dimitri wasn't the man she'd married. She'd planned to make him account for his actions in the time that they'd been apart - to explain his role in the attack on the Mormon settlement at Cedar City, and the death of the prostitute that Janine had sent to Paris. She was desperate to understand why he had forsaken her to join a rebel army that opposed the values of freedom and justice he'd always fought for.

But somehow none of that mattered now that she was finally in his arms. Yes - Dimitri had changed. Yes - she would confront him about everything he'd done and demand that he come home with her as soon as they had the opportunity to leave. But right now, all she wanted was to lose herself in the kisses and caresses she had craved for so long. She needed this. She _deserved_ this. She'd defied fate to find her husband again - against the harshest odds - and now she was going to forget everything else for just a little while and enjoy her reward.

'I missed you so much, cowboy,' she whispered raggedly, her own fingers disappearing beneath Dimitri's open greatcoat and struggling with the brass buttons on his uniform underneath.

She was desperate to feel the hardness of his chest and the heat of his skin against hers, but the task was practically impossible with the soldier taking great pleasure in distracting her at every turn.

'Stop that...,' she chided weakly, shying away as he grazed his chin over her jawline - tickling her neck with his beard.

'I won't stop until I'm satisfied, wife,' he refused, enjoying the feeling of power he gained from making her squirm.

Rose was preparing to unleash a smart reply but she gasped instead as Dimitri artfully popped the top button on her bodice and slipped an eager hand inside. At the exact moment his thumb and forefinger found her nipple through the rough lace of her chemise, the soldier's teeth suddenly locked onto her earlobe, and an involuntary moan escaped Rose's lips as he pinched down firmly with his fingers and his mouth - bringing her to that delicious halfway-place between pain and pleasure

' _Dimitri_ ,' she whined, giving up on his buttons and trying the more direct approach of simply yanking his shirt out from the waist of his trousers; intent on unleashing the straining instrument that would bring relief to the throbbing ache between her legs – and the inexpressible craving in her heart.

From somewhere beyond the haze of desperation and desire that clutched them both, a voice spoke up.

'I heard you claimed a whore for yourself, soldier, but I didn't believe the rumours were true.'

Dimitri's head snapped up from its nestling place and Rose stiffened in his arms, her eyes widening in dismay.

They were no longer alone.

* * *

'She's not a whore, sir,' Dimitri glared at the man who stood in the doorway of the tent - completely unconcerned by the fact that he was intruding on the couple's intimate moment. 'She is my _wife_.'

He pulled Rose possessively towards him - hiding her naked throat and chest against his body, and positioning her in a way that concealed the evidence of his own arousal.

'Your wife, soldier?' the newcomer's voice had a strange note to it - surprise, curiosity, and annoyance all rolled into one.

'Yes, my wife,' a fake smile twisted Dimitri's lips. 'Now I suggest you step outside, for your own safety. I promised to punish any man who dared to look at my woman the wrong way, and I have no problem making an example of a superior officer.'

Rose didn't dare turn around to see the look on the man's face behind her, but she heard his short, angry snort, followed by a bark of derisive laughter.

'Very good, mongrel. But no need to take out your anger on me. Save that up for the boys in blue. We'll have plenty of fighting to do in the next few weeks, I assure you... My humblest apologies ma'am,' he addressed the comment to Rose's back. 'I'll be pleased to make your acquaintance outside once you and your husband are... decent.'

The soldier left with a final farewell, and as soon as the tent flap fell, Dimitri stepped back from Rose immediately - all trace of desire gone from his eyes.

'Who was that?' Deputy Belikov whispered, holding the duster closed over her chest out of self-consciousness.

'That was Forrest. My commanding officer,' Dimitri answered tersely, straightening out his uniform as he spoke. 'He's the one who had me brought here.'

 _Forrest_. Rose had hated that name from the moment she'd heard it in her spirit-trance with Susana, and now she hated it just a little bit more.

'He's the man in charge around here, so be sure to keep a civil tongue when you speak to him,' the soldier warned, bending to retrieve his cowboy hat and fitting it back down over his hair. 'Forrest likes to play at being well-mannered, but if he gets one sniff of disobedience or disrespect you'll quickly see his true character. He's ruthless. Unforgiving. He likes power and he likes to win. If he sees you as a threat...,' Dimitri scowled in the direction that Forrest had left.

'Do you think he would try to hurt me?' a hint of anxiety fluttered in Rose's stomach.

She'd always assumed that finding Dimitri was going to be her biggest challenge, but now she realised there could be further obstacles standing in the way of her getting herself and Dimitri both home to safety.

The big Russian's eyes snapped around to his wife and in two steps he was in front of her again; one hand snaking behind her neck and tilting her face up to meet his piercing gaze.

'I will gladly cut that man's throat if he makes any threat to harm you, but I don't want to kill him unless it is absolutely necessary.'

His quiet intensity was more alarming than comforting.

'That kind of mess would be... _inconvenient_ , and besides... Forrest has certain uses to me as long as he is alive. All you need to do is stay in your place and don't give him any reason to doubt your loyalty to me and our Confederate cause. No questions. No fraternising with troops, civilians or slaves unless you have my direct permission. No smart-lip and _no_ disobedience. Do you understand? Well, _do_ you?' he tightened his grip on the back of her neck just a little.

'Yes,' Rose nodded numbly, wondering if it was Forrest or Dimitri that she should be more afraid of.

'That's my girl,' the soldier dropped a brief, hard kiss to her lips. 'I'll go and keep Forrest busy. Make yourself respectable and join us when you're done. There's a needle and thread in my kit for the button... and for God's sake, wipe that muck off your face before anybody else sees you,' he ran his gaze over her painted cheeks and smeared lipstick with a look of faint disdain. 'If you dress like a whore, you can't blame the men for treating you like one, and next time I might not get there fast enough to save you.'

Hiding an involuntary shiver, Deputy Belikov watched the man who was her husband - and wasn't her husband - stride out of the tent to report to his superior officer.

* * *

'Mrs Belikov... It is a great honour to meet you.'

Rose studied the man warily as he stooped to kiss her hand in greeting. He was older than Dimitri - probably in his early forties - and slightly shorter, too, though he still towered over most of the other soldiers in the encampment. The officer was impeccably groomed - his uniform pressed and spotless, and his salt-and-pepper moustache and goatee trimmed with military precision - and he carried himself in a confident, upright manner that made him seem younger than he actually was. There was something familiar about the man's face, though Rose was certain she'd never met him before, and the calculating expression in his strange, grey eyes made the deputy feel ill at ease.

'The honour is mine, Sergeant Forrest,' she smiled thinly, resolving not to say anything that might get her or Dimitri into trouble.

'This isn't _Sergeant_ Forrest, dearest,' Dimitri corrected, tugging at his wife's elbow to draw her back from the other man's grasp. 'Forrest was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel a week ago - for his victory at the Battle of Sacramento in Kentucky.'

'Congratulations on your new appointment, Lieutenant Colonel,' Rose offered. 'Your superiors must be very pleased with your service.'

The man's eyes sharpened with conceit.

'The Confederate States Army rewards those who show the greatest potential,' he explained condescendingly. 'Only a month ago, General Gale gave me command of my own Escort Company - an elite cavalry force personally selected by me - and we already have the Yanks fleeing with their tails between their legs. With loyal fighters like your husband serving at my side, we'll have this war won in another few weeks, mark my words.'

'So soon?' Rose tried to hide her alarm.

She wanted an end to the war, just like everybody else, but not at the expense of a Confederate victory. A win for the South would tear America in two, and the outcome for slaves like Nick and Denis was too devastating to imagine.

'Undoubtedly. But we must remain vigilant to the end,' Forrest cocked his head, his gaze sliding from Rose to Dimitri and back again, 'which is why, Mrs Belikov, you cannot stay here.'

Rose's cheeks flushed with anger, but the lieutenant colonel didn't allow her the satisfaction of a reply.

Tucking the woman's hand into the crook of his elbow, Forrest led her on a slow tour around the twenty or so tents that made up the temporary encampment - paying no heed to the grim-faced Russian who loomed a half-step behind them, his fingers itching to reach for his gun.

'Let me tell you how it is, my dear,' he said conversationally, raising his hand every now and then to acknowledge a soldier who saluted them as they passed.

'I've taken a keen and personal interest in recruiting your husband to my Escort Company. When I heard tales about a lawman out west who was a wizard in the saddle and a devil with a gun, I knew I had to have him on my team. Your sheriff was very... _troubled_ when he first arrived, but I soon whipped him into shape and General Gale approved my request to make him my personal _aide-de-camp_.'

Rose frowned at the foreign term.

'My personal bodyguard... assistant... mongrel on a leash,' Forrest tittered at his own joke. 'But as difficult as he was to begin with, now I simply can't do without him. At the Battle of Sacramento he was everything the legends promised and more. Headstrong. Ruthless. Bloodthirsty. A beautiful killer to watch. The general was so impressed he rewarded our Russian friend with an officer's position of his own.'

Forrest halted in his stride; releasing Rose from his possession and turning his attention to Dimitri.

'The fact is, Mrs Belikov, your husband is no longer yours... He is _Major Dimitri Belikov:_ the public property of the Confederate States Army. Consequently - as I am his direct superior - his life and person belong to me.'

'I don't care if he's a bleeding three-star general and you're the president!' Rose spluttered, ignoring Dimitri's sharp look of warning as she stepped up beside him and wrapped both her hands around his arm. 'He's my husband first and foremost, and _nobody_ has the right to stand between us.'

'Now, now, lady,' Forrest chuckled lightly, though his eyes flashed with annoyance at her outburst. 'There's no need to get worked up about it. The war's nearly over. I only require Major Belikov for a short time and then you can have him back again... but as long as the major is serving under me, I need him completely focused on his orders. I can't have your distracting presence jeopardizing the safety of my men and the success of the whole company. I'm truly sorry, ma'am, but you'll need to leave. Today.'

The lieutenant colonel stuck his fingers to his lips and blew a shrill whistle. Seconds later, a black man dressed in a shabby coat and trousers ran up to them; his eyes trained on the dirt at Forrest's boots.

'Yessir?' he asked, not daring to look up at any of them lest he be punished for insolence.

'This woman is leaving for Memphis today. Ready two horses and escort her as far as the Louisville Railroad. Do not return until you are certain she has made it safely on board and the train has left the station.'

' _No_.'

The slave cowered in surprise, and Forrest's eyes snapped across to Dimitri who had taken a step forward - partly shielding Rose with his own body.

'No?' the commander's expression was dangerous.

Dimitri held his gaze without flinching.

 _'I_ decide if she stays or leaves... not you,' his accent darkened, making Rose's insides quiver. 'She's _my_ wife, not your soldier. She answers to me - only me - and I want her to stay.'

Forrest squared up to his junior officer, prodding a finger into his chest.

'She may not be mine to command, but _you_ are, and I order you to send her away until the fighting is done.'

Dimitri shook his head slowly.

'There's no army regulation preventing a soldier from having his family in camp. We're due back at the fort in a few days anyway. I guarantee my wife will not be a distraction. She can bunk with me while we're garrisoned, and remain behind whenever we're called out to fight. I'm sure if I bring the matter up with General Gale he will be happy to grant my request. I took down nine Yankees to save you at Sacramento, remember. You might have devised the strategy that led us to victory, but our side couldn't have won that battle without me - and both you and Gale know it.'

'You don't want to test me, boy,' Forrest's gentlemanly facade had worn so thin he could barely conceal the acid in his voice. 'I made you. I own you. A pet dog has its uses, but I'll crush you if I have to.'

Dimitri leaned forward so he was eye-to-eye with his commander, his jaw squared and his expression lethal.

'Sir! A message, sir!'

A soldier on horseback cantered up beside them, swinging down from the saddle and holding out a sealed envelope addressed to the company commander.

Forrest's gaze was locked intently with Dimitri's, but after a tense silence the older man broke his eyes away and snatched at the letter; tearing it open and scanning over the message inside.

' _Ha,_ ' he growled, tearing the page into two and thrusting the pieces back at the messenger who'd delivered it.

'General Gale has ordered us back to Fort Henry immediately. Intelligence says the Yanks are making plans to move south into Tennessee along the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. Gale needs all hands on deck to get the fort garrisoned and ready before they arrive.'

Dimitri's lips twitched into a smirk.

'So I guess we'll get to hear the general's verdict on my wife staying in camp after all,' he observed, setting his hand low on Rose's back to celebrate his victory.

Forrest's top lip curled slightly but he nodded.

'Bring her to Gale if you must, but if he says no then that's the end of it... Now stop wasting my time with civilian matters and do the job you're being paid for. I'll get rid of the whores. You give the men their orders. We break camp immediately and depart for Fort Henry within the hour. An extra dinner ration for the first man packed and ready to fall out. Two if he's saddled up faster than me.'

'Yes, sir!' Dimitri stiffened his posture and saluted, willing to play the part of an obedient soldier now that control over Rose's fate had passed back to him.

'And what should _I_ do?' Rose asked, looking from Dimitri to the lieutenant colonel, not sure what was expected of her now she'd been given approval to stay.

Forrest looked at the woman as if he'd half-forgotten she was there - and was annoyed to discover that she still existed.

'Just keep out of the way,' he ordered, turning on his heel and heading off in the direction of the hushed, rhythmic groaning noises coming from behind and within Scarlett Jane's carriage.

Dimitri watched him go, then stepped up to Rose; dropping his lips to her ear.

'Go back to the tent and wait for me, Roza,' he ordered quietly, his hand circling her wrist and his breath tingling on her neck. 'And remember... if anybody - and I mean _anybody_ \- bothers you while I'm gone, you remind them that the Yankees call me the Russian Butcher for a reason, and any man that tries to lay a finger on you is going to personally discover why.'

* * *

Rose paced Dimitri's tent nervously as she waited for him to return.

 _Major Dimitri Belikov. Mongrel on a leash. The Russian Butcher._

So this is what he had become?

A part of her wanted to run - to get as far as possible from this enemy camp and the man that was supposed to be her husband - but even as the thought formed in her mind she knew she couldn't give up on him yet.

Dimitri, for all his changes, was still Dimitri. He looked more or less the same... thinner, perhaps, and the scruffy beard took some getting used to, but with a little care and attention she could have him back to himself in no time. More importantly, he still remembered her. He still leapt to her defence when the soldier had assaulted her thinking she was a prostitute, and again when Forrest had threatened to send her away. And he still desired her.

The memory of her husband's lips on hers - his hands roving possessively over her body - sent a sinful ripple through Rose's stomach and she stopped pacing abruptly; mortified that she'd let her mind to wander so wantonly. As much as her body still craved for her husband, she couldn't allow herself to give in to him. Not like this.

She still loved Dimitri, of course - the kind of love they shared was impossible to erase - but she wasn't certain that she _liked_ him very much the way he was now, and she sure as hell didn't trust him.

No. She couldn't let herself be open or intimate with him when he was in this state. Her only priority now had to be getting Dimitri away from Forrest and the Confederate army to a place where he could receive urgent medical attention. Maybe, with the bullet removed from his head, he would return to his old self and they could start their marriage over again... but until then she would have to be strong.

No matter what sweet words he might say to entice her interest, she would turn him down. No matter how the lilt of his accent melted her bones, she would remain resolute. No matter how delicious he looked in his uniform, she'd...

'Wife. Are you ready to go home?'

A pair of arms slid around her waist from behind as Dimitri folded her into his chest; their bodies moulding seamlessly - his front to her back.

'Home?' she breathed shakily, the tickle of Dimitri's whiskers at her ear drawing an involuntary sigh from her lips.

So much for best intentions.

'Our _new_ home. Fort Henry. Where we can be together at last. Come, my beautiful Roza.'

The deputy's eyes fell closed the moment he said her name, and when Dimitri released her from his arms, her body automatically leant back against him - seeking to close the distance between them.

'We can continue that soon enough,' he chuckled softly, and suddenly something came down over Rose's face - coarse and musty smelling.

'What are you doing?!' Rose yelped, her voice muffled as she scrabbled to remove the cloth that the soldier had pulled over her head.

A bag! Dimitri put a bag over her head! Was this what he did to Kelly Hayes before he killed her and dumped her body in the river?! She had to get out of here. She had to get away!

'Get it off me! I can't breathe! Dimitri! Get it off!' she bucked against him in panic, but he wrapped his arms around her again; holding her steady so she couldn't flail about.

'Don't struggle, sweet Roza,' he soothed, through the hessian over her ears. 'It's just a precaution. My commander thinks you might be using me as a cover for your covert agenda as a Yankee spy.'

'I'm not a spy!' Rose thrashed violently, though her efforts had no effect.

'I know you'd never do anything to betray me,' Dimitri stroked the arm that he had pinned against her ribs, 'but Forrest doesn't want you knowing the way to our fort in case you expose our position to the enemy, so this is what we have to do... _Stop it_ , Rose!'

He shook her in frustration when she lashed out against his hold again.

'Just stop fighting me and stay still! If you keep this up you're going to run out air and faint. Do you really want to ride into Fort Henry unconscious and trussed up over the back of my horse like a prisoner?'

Already lightheaded, Rose complied out of necessity, not obedience.

'So how are you getting me to camp then?' she asked rudely. 'You going to tie my hands to the saddle and make me run alongside your horse like marching meat?'

'It _is_ tempting,' the soldier warned, though she could hear a smirk in his voice, 'but no. You'll be riding with me. Just like old times, remember?'

Rose scowled under the bag.

'Don't look at me like that,' Dimitri tutted, taking her by the hand and kissing the back of her knuckles. 'Your lips are much prettier with a smile. Now come on... My horse is tethered outside. Let's get you packed away with the rest of my belongings.'

* * *

It was approaching sundown when they rode into Fort Henry. Rose had fallen asleep at some point along the way - Dimitri's arms annoyingly comfortable despite her indignity at being blindfolded - and she awoke to the evening chill biting at her fingers, the sound of raised voices, and the smell of countless unwashed men.

'Forrest's Escort Company, reporting in,' the lieutenant colonel barked from somewhere nearby. 'Fifty cavalrymen, eight slaves and one civilian.'

Rose could feel his disdainful gaze through the material that obscured her vision.

'Major Belikov. We're here now,' Forrest turned to address his second in command. 'Get that bag off your wife's head. I'll show the boys where to pitch their tents. You go and sort out your quarters. Once Mrs Belikov is secured, report to General Gale immediately. Men?' he called over his shoulder to the small company that followed them. 'With me.'

Leading them clear of the line of horses and horsemen that trickled past, Dimitri rode on for a short distance before dismounting then lifting his wife down from her perch in front of the saddle.

'Now, let's see that pretty face again,' the soldier declared softy, and Rose felt a light tug under her chin, followed by the scratchy kiss of hessian shifting over her cheeks and forehead, and finally she was blinking against the glare as she opened her eyes and studied her surroundings.

They were standing at the edge of a vast military encampment; residual daylight trapped in the overcast sky above washing the camp in a pale, eerie glow.

The main battlement stood to their left - a stone-walled compound housing a battery of heavy artillery guns that were pointed west over the Tennessee River. Straight ahead was a cluster of ten to fifteen log cabins - probably housing for the senior officers - and all around them, a vast swathe of land had been cleared to accommodate a sea of canvas tents, grouped together by company.

Rose looked over the scene with a sinking heart. Even if the men slept six or twelve to a tent, she guessed there must have been close to two thousand troops garrisoned on the marshy campground before her. How was she meant to get Dimitri away from here and to safety? She'd literally have to fight her way through an army to escape - and that's assuming she could even convince her husband to leave with her.

Taking a deep breath, the deputy forced herself to clear her mind. Escaping the camp was a problem for tomorrow. Right now, there was a chill blowing off the river and seeping up from the swampy ground underfoot, and her current clothing - Janine's low-cut dress and Dimitri's leather duster - was insufficient to protect her.

'It's freezing out here,' Rose brought her hands to her lips to warm them. 'We should get the tent set up quickly.'

Dimitri shook his head.

'We're not sleeping in a tent tonight,' he glanced over at the log cabins and Rose heaved an internal sigh of relief, seeing that most of the huts had smoke rising from their chimneys.

'Now, follow me closely and stick to the corduroys if you don't want your skirts covered in filth,' Major Belikov commanded, nodding to the split-log walkways that snaked across the muddy campground.

A few minutes later, Dimitri stopped outside the door to their quarters - the last cabin on the row. Instead of letting Rose enter first as she'd expected, he rolled his shoulders slowly to loosen up his muscles then handed the horse's reins to his wife and instructed her to wait.

It was only a few seconds before Rose realised that something wasn't right.

'Hey! You can't come barging in here!' a voice exclaimed angrily from inside the cabin. 'These are my quarters! Who do think you...?'

Deputy Belikov nearly dropped her gip on the reins as the door swung outwards and a middle-aged soldier stumbled through the doorway; falling to one knee in the mud then twisting around with a look of outrage.

'General Gale will hear about this, mongrel!' he declared, getting to his feet and overbalancing again in the slick, boggy clay.

'Damn this slough to hell!' he swore, still struggling to rise.

Dimitri appeared in the door - his arms heavily laden - and dropped the other man's belongings in the mud beside their owner.

'I'm sure General Gale has more important matters to attend to than a sergeant major from Kentucky who wants to gripe about his housing arrangements,' he said scornfully. 'Just take another cabin and stop moaning like a woman.'

'But I've already got a fire going in this one,' the officer snapped, finally making it to his feet and picking up his pack and bedding - now splattered in mud.

'I know,' Dimitri replied with a slow, vindictive smile, ignoring the man's curses and turning his attention to Rose.

'Come inside, wife. Your new home awaits.'

Rose was too embarrassed to even look at the mud-soaked man as she passed him, and hurried inside with her eyes averted.

 _It's not really Dimitri_ , she reminded herself, trying to push back the feeling of anxiety that was growing in the pit of her stomach. _It's just his injury. Once the bullet comes out, the real Dimitri will return – he has to. It's not really him._

Major Belikov followed a few moments later and crossed to the pair of crude bunk-beds that were stacked against the left wall of the cabin; tossing his and Rose's luggage on the lower bed.

'Make yourself comfortable,' he instructed in a businesslike manner, already heading back towards the door. 'I don't know how long Gale will keep me. There are dinner rations in my haversack. If I'm gone more than an hour you should start without me… And Roza...?'

Dimitri paused in the doorway a moment longer, his eyes glowing black against in the darkening sky outside.

'Don't fall asleep before I get back. We have a lot of catching up to do.'

* * *

Rose stood staring at the closed door for what seemed like a lifetime before she heard herself exhale and realised that she'd been holding her breath.

Mindlessly, she wandered over to warm her hands by the fireplace – simply soaking in the sensation of heat returning to her body. Once she'd allowed herself another five or ten minutes to come to grips with the jarring events of the last few days, she was finally ready to look around and make a proper assessment of her situation.

She'd been taken to a Confederate outpost called Fort Henry. She didn't know the exact location, but she figured the half-day's ride must have taken them about twenty miles north of Paris - somewhere along the eastern bank of the Tennessee River.

The options for getting Dimitri to safety were limited. Rose's first thought was that Janine might be willing to aid them in some way, but Memphis was crawling with Confederate troops, and the chance of Major Belikov being recognised and arrested for desertion was just too high a risk to take. Heading directly west would be difficult too, assuming that the river crossings were guarded by Confederate troops… but going north into Kentucky might work.

Kentucky was technically still in Union hands. If they could make it over the border, she might be able to get a telegram to Sydney or Doctor Sage and ask if they knew of a surgeon in Louisville who could assist them... or maybe Abe had a contact who could help?

 _Abe_.

Rose's hand flew to her mouth. She'd promised to look in at Fort Smith for her father's telegram days ago, but with everything that had happened - the Coo'-tsa, Janine, locating Dimitri - she'd forgotten to send word that she was alright. He must be beside himself with worry – as would the rest of her family and friends.

Alberta would be bullying the telegraph clerk in Greenston for information on a daily basis, and Lisa?... At seven months pregnant, with her husband away and her best friend unaccounted for, she was probably an emotional wreck. Rose's only comfort was knowing that Saint's Town was a tight-knit community and Lisa would have plenty of people to check in on her; Sheriff Castile, Reverend Mastrano, Adrian Ivara, Abe and Sydney, the Belikovas …

 _Olena_! She had to tell Olena that her son was still alive!

Looking around the room in agitation, the deputy's eyes alighted on the desk and stool opposite the bunk-beds, giving her an idea.

Maybe the last person to use the cabin had left a sheet of paper behind? Fort Henry must have a telegraph station, and maybe they'd let her send a short message to tell her loved ones that she was alive and she'd found what she was looking for.

For a few desperate seconds, Rose scanned over the empty desk-top then fell to her knees with a victorious _ha!_ , spying a white corner sticking out from a gap in the floorboards beneath the desk. The piece of paper had a few lines of writing at the top, but there was still enough of a blank portion for her to draft out her message. Now all she had to do was find a pen.

But there wasn't a pen.

Rose glanced back to the luggage on the bed with a frown. She knew she wouldn't find a pen or pencil in her travel case. All she had left to her name was her woollen trouser-suit - with Adrian's blank check in the breast-pocket and her knife and pistol secretly folded in the coat – and Sydney's medical satchel with the pouch of herbs from the Coo'-tsa women tucked safely inside.

Dimiri might have a pen, though? Telling herself it wasn't snooping to go through her own husband's belongings, Rose bypassed the thick, canvas knapsack and emptied the contents of the lighter, fabric haversack out onto the bed.

She picked through the pile with interest; finding a cake of lye soap, a toothbrush, the sewing kit she'd used earlier, a narrow-toothed comb, two days' dinner rations, and a mess kit including a tin plate, cup, knife, fork and spoon.

The deputy's eyebrows drew tighter when her gaze fell on a small, rectangular box that contained a deck of cards. Dimitri had never approved of gambling, and from what she'd heard about life in a military encampment, she doubted it was just for playing solitaire. Were there any other vices he had turned to since there were parted?

An unwelcome image flashed into her mind - Dimitri locked in an embrace with Janine's murdered dove, Miss Kelly - and suddenly Rose didn't want to poke through her husband's things for any longer than necessary. Sweeping a few of the larger items aside, Rose's mood picked up a little as she spied a pencil-stub at the bottom of the pile, but the sick, nervous feeling returned a moment later when she was startled by a knock at the door.

'Just a moment,' she called out, hurriedly stuffing Dimitri's belongings back into the haversack and, in a last ditch panic, shoving the paper and pencil under the mattress for safekeeping.

Rose spun around at the exact moment the door opened - expecting to see her husband's broad shoulders filling the doorway - but it wasn't Dimitri who stood at the entrance.

It was a woman – perhaps a year or two older than herself.

'Can I help you?' Deputy Belikov asked uncertainly, wondering if the visitor had stopped at her cabin by mistake.

'Evenin', missus,' the black woman's eyes flitted warily from side to side as she bent to pick up an open crate that was resting on the corduroyed path at her feet. 'Major Belikov sent this for you.'

Rose stepped aside to allow the stranger into the cabin, then watched curiously as she backed up against the wall by the desk and waited – her wrists clearly straining under the weight of the box.

After an awkward pause, Rose finally realised that the woman was waiting for permission to move.

'You can put it here on the desk,' Rose instructed quickly, springing ahead of her to shift the stool out of her path. 'I'm Rose, by the way. Who are you?'

The black woman glanced to the door like she wanted to leave.

'I am the slave assigned to Lieutenant Colonel Forest and Major Belikov, missus.'

Dimitri had a _slave_?!

'I'm sorry – I didn't mean it that way….,' Rose was struggling to keep the dismay and confusion from her voice. 'I meant, what is your name?'

The slave's eyes met the white woman's in surprise then quickly snatched away again.

'They call me Dinah,' she mumbled, keeping her gaze trained on the floor.

Deputy Belikov hated that this girl was afraid of her, and desperately wished there was something she could do to free Dinah from her life of bondage, but she knew she was powerless to act.

Stirring up trouble might jeopardise her chances of getting Dimitri to safety. And the life of an escaped slave was in no way a guarantee of safety or happiness – as her chance meeting with Nick and his friends had taught her.

The only thing she _could_ do was to give Dinah the same kindness and respect she'd give to anyone else, and hope that having one person in the world who treated her properly might make some small difference to the other woman's life.

'Well, thank you for bringing me these things, Dinah,' Rose poked through the contents of the crate. 'I'll be a lot more comfortable now, thanks to you.'

She ran her fingers over a neatly folded blanket, and a washcloth that wasn't very soft but looked and smelt clean enough.

'You can use this as a chamber pot…,' Dinah took a step closer and lifted the handle of a pail-shaped, regulation army cooking pot.

'I'd rather do my business outside, if it's all the same to you,' the deputy pulled a sour face.

'Sorry, missus,' the slave woman spoke up nervously, 'but Major Belikov asked me to remind you that the sink pits are no place for a proper lady like yourself… Half the camp has loose bowels and...'

Rose didn't need to hear any more.

'I'll use the chamber pot,' she agreed without further argument. 'And what are these?' the deputy poked at two bundles of blue and white fabric in the bottom of the crate.

'The quartermaster had a men's night-shirt to spare,' Dinah answered, holding up a loose, white, collared shirt that would fall to nearly ankle-length on Rose. 'If it's too big I can take it up for you...,' she looked at her mistress with a worried expression.

'It will be perfect,' Rose assured her, taking the night-shirt and laying it over the end of the bunk.

'My master also wanted you to have a new dress,' the slave shook out the other bundle for Rose to inspect.

It was nothing special; a rather dour-looking navy day-dress, with long sleeves and an unusual bodice that buttoned up on an angle. Despite its lack of visual appeal, the gown looked warm and well made, and its high neckline made it infinitely more respectable than the outfit that Janine had given her.

'It's from an officer's wife,' Dinah explained. 'She said you can borrow it until you have one made up of your own. Would you like help putting it on?' the black woman prompted shyly.

Deputy Belikov shook her head at once – not wanting to accept the help of a slave, for fear it would look like she condoned the practice of slavery.

'I imagine you have plenty of better things to do than help me dress,' she answered, holding out her hands for the gown, then turning to drape the long skirt and bodice on the bed beside her night-shirt. 'I'm sure I'll manage by myself... Dinah?'

The slave had already begun to edge towards the cabin door, expecting to be dismissed.

'Yes, missus?' Dinah's posture stiffened, as if awaiting a rebuke.

'Thank you again for your help tonight. It was very nice to meet you,' Rose waited for the other woman to glance up, then caught her eye and smiled – trying to make it clear that she wasn't a threat.

Dinah looked back into the white woman's eyes for a full three seconds before she turned her face to the cold air outside and hurried away.

* * *

Rose was physically and emotionally exhausted, but her mind was so busy she couldn't bring herself to relax.

Instead of stewing in her thoughts and worries, she set about tidying the cabin to pass the time. When the room was presentable, Dimitri had still not returned from his meeting so Rose took the opportunity to draft out her message to Abe. It was only after she'd tucked the scribbled-on paper away in her travel case that the tiredness finally hit.

Not bothering to make any dinner, Rose moved closer to the warmth of the fire so she could undress for bed. Removing the outer layers of clothing as quickly as she could, the deputy paused a moment to remove the plaited, leather bracelet that her Coo'-tsa friend, Joshua, had given her when they'd parted only yesterday. With the token tucked safely away in her bag, Rose was down to her corset, stockings and bloomers when she felt a sudden chill from the doorway. On instinct, she wrapped her arms over her chest and turned her head to check who had entered the room.

Dimitri.

For a few seconds he just stood there - drinking in the woman's figure with a dark, almost hungry expression - before he finally came to his senses. Leaving his hat on the bed, Dimitri crossed towards the fireplace and stood in front of his wife; peeling her arms away from her chest so he could reach down and undo the clasps on the front of her corset.

'Gale says you can stay,' he announced quietly, freeing the last clasp and pulling the cage away from her body.

There was something so intimate and familiar in the action that Rose almost let herself believe that they were back at home. The war had never happened. They'd just been to a party at Lisa's ranch and now they were disrobing for bed - though neither of them was thinking of sleep.

Dimitri seemed to be caught in the moment too. His eyes traced the curve of Rose's breasts beneath her chemise, then skimmed down to her dark-stockinged legs and up again to her face – admiring everything he saw as if it was for the very first time.

'Look at you,' he tossed the corset to one side and stepped in so close that their hips were almost touching. 'You're even more beautiful than I remembered.'

Calloused fingers grazed over Rose's cheek, her neck, her collarbone; stealing the breath away from her and leaving a trail of pebbled skin in their wake as they smoothed along her naked arm.

'I wish you'd stayed away until the fighting was done, but I'm glad you're here,' he added, almost tenderly – rubbing his whiskers over her cheek.

Suddenly, Dimitri's mouth closed over hers and she whimpered at the sweet tremor that ran through her body. No matter how much her husband had changed, their bodies still recognised one another; every kiss and caress stripping away their outer conflicts and concerns until their true selves were laid bare – simply two souls that were made to be together.

'Wait… I can't…,' Rose pulled back abruptly, her chest heaving as Dimitri slid his hands up her ribcage in search of her breasts. 'I can't do this.'

'What's wrong?' his breathing was uneven and his eyes shadowed with hurt. 'Don't you care for me anymore, Roza?'

'Of course I still care for you, cowboy,' she sighed heavily, hating the look of accusation in his gaze but determined to make her worries heard. 'I love you – that won't ever change. It's just… I barely recognise you anymore.'

The soldier stared at her blankly then his forehead wrinkled in confusion.

'Is it the beard?' he grabbed her shoulder so she couldn't look away from him. 'Because I can shave it off it if means that much to you.'

A short, hysterical laugh burst from the deputy's lips.

'You think I have a problem your _beard_?' she shook her head in disbelief. 'It's not the way you _look_ , cowboy… It's the way you're _acting_. The Dimitri I remember would never hold me so roughly…'

She glanced at his hand and he loosened his grip a little, though he still didn't release her completely.

'…The Dimitri I remember would never throw a man into the mud like you did today without a good reason. The Dimitri I remember would _never_ keep a personal slave.'

'Dinah isn't my personal slave,' the soldier corrected sharply, dropping his hand and clenching his fists at his side. 'All the officers in the company use her.'

 _Use her_? Rose cringed at his callous disregard for Dinah as anything more than a resource to be exploited.

'But that's not the only problem, is it?' she continued. 'How many Union soldiers have you killed since you joined the Confederate Army? Don't you believe in freedom and justice anymore?... And _civilians_?'

The deputy was getting so worked up she didn't even notice the chill on her arms as she squared up to the hulking soldier in only her undergarments.

'I know about Cedar Creek, Dimitri. They say you killed three Mormons when you rode through their town to steal supplies. One was only a boy!... And I heard you killed a prostitute too - a _woman_! Dimitri... cowboy... That's not _you_. I honestly don't know now who you are anymore.'

Rose threw her hands in the air; her chin trembling with frustration and grief.

'Now, hold up a minute,' Dimitri defended himself - his voice quiet and measured, but the tension in his hands and shoulders betraying his displeasure. 'The only Mormons I killed were the ones pointing guns at me. I didn't exactly have time to stop and check their ages... And that whore had it coming.'

'Forrest thought I might like a treat before we rode out for battle at Sacramento a few weeks ago. My bullet wound was giving me trouble, so he gave me an opium pill to dull the pain in my head then sent that imposter in to play-act as my loving wife. My mind wasn't at its sharpest, but I knew the woman wasn't you as soon as she kissed me. I couldn't let Forrest think I was fool enough to be deceived by a whore, so I... took care of the problem.'

Rose should have been horrified that her husband had just admitted to killing Kelly Hayes, but a worming, petty little fear reared its head above all her other concerns.

'So you _didn't_ lie with her then?' she asked in a strained voice, not certain if she wanted to hear the answer.

'Oh, _Roza_ ,' the anger melted from Dimitri's face at once and he swooped down upon the half-naked woman; dropping dozens of tiny kisses over her cheeks and nose. 'Don't be jealous. You are my wife. Mine and only mine. You know I'd never lie with anyone but you.'

Dimitri brushed his lips over her forehead, and his eyes widened in triumph at the small, involuntary sound that escaped her mouth.

'See… this is the truth right here,' he whispered, kissing her again at the corner of her lips. ' _This_ is the only thing that matters.'

Another kiss, this time to the hollow just below her ear.

'Everything else – the war, North, South, slave, free - it means _nothing_. You think I'm different to the man you remember, Roza, but I'm still the same person,' he pulled back to look into her eyes, steady and certain. 'I still want what I've always wanted - to provide a life you... for _us_ \- where we can be safe and happy and free.'

'I want to believe you…,' Rose shook her head doubtfully, but Dimitri clasped both her hands in his – his accent ripening with the growing passion of his appeal.

'Think about it, Roza. In one month with the Escort Company, I've already risen to the rank of major. Imagine what I could be by the time the war ends. A colonel? A general? I'll be able to buy you every luxury imaginable... A big house - on a plantation with a hundred slaves to run it.'

'But I don't want that, Dimitri. It's not right!'

Rose tried to pull her hands away, but he only held on tighter.

'You know what's not right?' the soldier frowned. 'My grandmother was a serf in Russia for her whole life – and so were my mother and sisters after her. I wanted them to move to America so I could support them, but my sheriff's wage would never have been enough. Why should my family have to toil and eke by while others live around them like kings? Why shouldn't _they_ have a turn at being the masters instead of the slaves? Well, now I can give them that,' he declared firmly. '...And I'm doing this for you too, Roza.'

Dimitri dropped his hands to Rose's waist, stepping closer and bringing his face in line with hers.

'I was proud to serve with you as my deputy, but I don't want my wife trapped in some tin-pot prairie town, risking her life every day to protect smallminded townsfolk from criminals and outlaws. If we stay here in the South, we'll have space and freedom for our family to grow… to build a better future for our children. Isn't that what you want too?'

The man's hand slipped up under the hem of his wife's chemise to rest on her naked stomach, his thumb stroking tender circles over her skin.

'That's why you came to find me, isn't it, Roza? So we can be together again. So I can give you the child you crave for and the life we all deserve.'

'I don't know, Dimitri,' Rose closed her eyes, trying not to let herself be charmed by the image he was painting, or the feeling of his skin; warm and reassuring against hers. 'I don't know what I want anymore.'

The hand left her stomach and Dimitri's breath tickled soft against her ear.

'Then let me remind you.'

* * *

There was a soft thump as the soldier's greatcoat hit the floor, then he snaked his arms around his wife and half-carried, half-pushed across to the wall by the desk.

'It's been such a long time,' he muttered hoarsely, kissing a path down her neck and shoulder until his lips reached the capped sleeve of her chemise.

Rose wavered then gave in; Dimitri's presence too strong to resist a moment longer.

'Promise you'll never leave me again,' she ordered brokenly.

'I promise,' he whispered against her skin, and she arched her head back against the plank-wall behind her – a gesture of forgiveness and invitation.

Dimitri took his cue at once - working his way back to her throat - and Rose groaned with pleasure as she buried her hands in her husband's hair; guiding him down to her breasts.

'Let me see them,' he begged, when his hands had fondled and his mouth had wandered, but the cotton chemise remained in its place; barring him from the prize he coveted.

'Only if you let me see you first,' Rose challenged softly, her eyes boring a hole through his grey frock-coat.

Major Belikov had never gotten out of his uniform so fast, and Rose felt the moisture spring to her mouth and between her legs as she watched her husband rid himself of his coat, suspenders and undershirt; setting his broad chest and rippled stomach out on display. The bulge in his pants seemed to grow as she looked at it, but when the man reached down eagerly to undo the buttons at his fly, Rose closed her eyes and dropped her head back against the wall in frustration.

'What is it Roza?' he frowned, moving toward her swiftly and running his hands down her back. 'You're not afraid of me, are you?'

Rose bit her lip, tears prickling under her eyelids.

'It's not that… It's the baby.'

'What?' Dimitri froze, his mind jarring to a standstill. 'Are you carrying our child?'

'No… I mean, not yet… but…'

'For God's sake, tell me quickly, woman. What baby?' he was on the verge of panic.

Rose laid a hand on his chest, trying to calm him, and herself.

'On my journey here I met some people – healers,' she explained, not wanting to complicate things with the details. 'They gave me some medicine and said if I take it every day for a month then I will be able to conceive.'

A light came into Dimitri's eyes as he understood.

'We can have a child?' he asked in wonder. 'But that's wonderful! I told you it would happen, didn't I?!... Now, where is this medicine? You should start the course at once. You're young and healthy. Perhaps the effects will work more quickly for you. Come here, Roza,' Dimitri pulled her in to his body so the tips of her breasts grazed against his naked torso.

'I've yearned to give you a baby for so long. Let me do it,' he brought his mouth to hers, and the rawness of his kiss set a fire running through her veins. 'Please.'

'But that's just it… You can't!' Rose pushed him away. 'Do you know how dangerous it is to have a baby – even at the best of times? Women die, Dimitri. Babies die. The risks are already high enough without giving birth in the middle of a war. I want to carry your baby, so badly, but we have to wait. Please. I couldn't bear to have a child and then lose it. Just wait until the war ends, and then...'

'Okay,' he said after a pause. 'I'll wait.'

Mentally, Rose was relieved, but physically she was in distress. Seeing and hearing and touching her husband after such a long absence had set an ache deep in the core of her, and the thought of not being able to soothe it made her nearly mad with frustration.

'I will wait to plant my child in your belly,' the intensity in Dimitri's voice drew Rose's eyes back to him, 'but I _won't_ wait to remind you how much I've missed you. How much I _want_ you.'

But if they couldn't lie together, then...? Rose felt confused, excited and a little afraid as the shirtless man reached out to her, setting his hands heavily on her shoulders then dragging the sleeves of her chemise as low down her arms as they would go.

'I want to _see_ you, Roza.'

It was more of a demand than a request, and when Rose was too slow to respond, Dimitri took charge; boosting his wife up to perch on the edge of the writing desk. There was a soft ripping sound as he tugged firmly on his wife's thin undershirt and they both breathed in sharply when Roses' breasts sprung free above the lacy neckline.

'This is what I've been waiting for,' he muttered, smoothing his hands over the two pale, perfect globes then latching onto the nearest peak and lapping at it with his tongue.

An incoherent reply tumbled from Rose's lips as Dimitri rubbed his palm in a circle over her other nipple, and she grabbed at him weakly; trying to touch his hair, his shoulders - whatever part of him she could reach.

'Dimitri,' she bleated his name, opening her legs to him as he moved higher; his fingers taking over from where his mouth had just been and his tongue pressing rhythmically hers.

With his pants still buttoned and bulging, the soldier positioned himself between her legs and rocked firmly against the welcoming warmth of her opening.

'We can't, remember,' Rose gasped, feeling him nudge deeper – as deep as the fabric shield would allow, but not deep enough to give her the relief she needed.

'I remember,' he answered with a catch to his voice, keeping up his shallow delving for a little while longer before suddenly pulling his hips away.

In the next moment, the hand at her breast slipped downwards - finding the slick velvet between her legs - and slowly, unapologetically, he sunk two fingers deep inside her.

Rose gasped at the unexpected intrusion but her eyes fell closed as she pushed her hips against him, and he responded in kind. As his wife's movements became more fitful, Dimitri stole his other hand behind her neck to support her weight and brought her face to his – smothering the sounds of her secret pleasure against his lips.

It was't long before Rose felt herself unravelling then Dimitri's hand suddenly left the nape of her neck and closed over her right breast. One pinch at her nipple sent her hurtling over the edge and she moaned against his mouth; unable to think of anything but Dimitri inside her and surrounding her. The only thing holding her world together.

'But what about you, cowboy?' Rose tripped over her words a little when she finally opened her eyes - shivering as another tremor passed through her body. 'Isn't there some way we could…'

Dimitri's pants had been barely about to contain him since he'd walked into the cabin that evening, and her words were all the encouragement he needed.

'On the floor,' he growled softly, picking Rose up off the desk and laying her out by the fire; her breasts still out on full display.

She looked up at him in surprise and a little fear as he stood over her and loosened the buttons on his pants. When he pushed his trousers and underwear down past his hips, his manhood loomed out from his body – smooth and swollen in the firelight - and he dropped swiftly to straddle the woman on the floor; pushing her chemise upwards to expose her stomach.

Rose felt her own need returning, watching the look of concentration on his face as he smoothed a hand over his length.

'Let me,' she suggested shyly, and his eyes widened in amazement then darkened with lust as she reached out to encase him in both of her hands.

'Is this what you like, _moy bol'shoy muzh_ ,' Rose whispered, hearing his low groan and feeling his weight press down into her hips as she found the right rhythm.

She didn't know many words in Russian, but a lifetime ago she'd pestered him to teach her this phrase – though he'd been quite embarrassed about it at the time.

Hearing the words from her lips at this very moment, however, did not embarrass Dimitri.

 _Is this what you like, my big man?_ she whispered, a glint of mischief in her tired, sated expression.

Yes, it was certainly what he liked. Kneading the woman's breasts firmly, Dimitri toyed at a nipple every now and then so he could enjoy her quiet gasps while she pleasured him, then he joined his hand to hers for the final stroke; spilling his seed freely over the soft plane of his wife's flat belly before collapsing on top of her - his face between her breasts and her hands stroking through his hair.

* * *

'Where are you going?' Rose asked, when Dimitri had tucked her into bed and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders.

She'd hoped they might sleep together, after what had transpired between them, but now she wasn't so sure.

'The medicine. For the baby. Where is it?' he asked crouching over the pile of luggage at the foot of the bed. 'You should start taking it tonight. Forrest thinks the war will be won in less than a month. If you begin the treatment now, we'll be ready to start trying for a baby as soon as the fighting is done.'

Rose smiled tiredly. Her husband had always liked having a mission to focus on, and it seemed that their path to parenthood would be no exception to the rule.

'It's the leather pouch in the medical bag. The powder needs to be steeped in hot water and drunk as a tea.'

Dimitri put a pot of water on the boil then set the medical satchel on the desk by the fire so he could locate the main ingredient. When the drink had been prepared and cooled, he sat by Rose's bedside and wouldn't let her put the cup down until she'd finished it.

'How do you feel?' he asked, watching for any physical reaction.

'I don't think I'm pregnant yet, cowboy!' Rose joked wryly. 'Now, will you come to bed? Please? I haven't slept well since we've been apart and I could really do with a good sleep tonight.'

Dimitri paused at the desk and looked over his shoulder at her expectant, pouting face.

'Right away, my Roza,' he nodded, then fiddled a few moments longer with the medical bag.

When her husband slipped under the blankets, Rose automatically rolled over so he could spoon behind her.

'I can't believe this is real,' she whispered, snuggling back into him to make sure he wasn't just a figment of her imagination. 'Did you wake up this morning and think that I was going to… _Dimitri_?!'

Something stung the side of her neck; a sharp, piercing sensation that made her try to pull away, but she couldn't move. Dimitri was holding her still.

'It's alright, Roza. Just a little sting.'

'Dimitri, what have you done?' she whimpered, turning her head slightly to see the firelight pick up the silver gleam of a needle.

'Don't worry, my wife,' he soothed, soft and low. 'It's been a difficult day and you need to get in a good sleep to recover. The morphine will last at least five hours, so close your eyes and relax. Tomorrow is an important day. General Gale has asked to meet you, and I expect you to be at your best. Now shut those pretty eyelids and go to sleep. You have nothing to fear. I won't let anybody harm you.'

Rose fought against the darkness – trying to understand what had just happened – but it was too strong for her, and the last thing she remembered before being dragged into blackness was a white sheet of paper. Her telegram for Abe. She just hoped she would wake again tomorrow so she could send it.

* * *

 ** _._**

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 ** _Well… what did you think?!_**

 ** _My brain nearly turned inside out trying to get the dynamic right between Rose & 'strigoi' Dimitri. I wanted him to come across as 'scary hot' (thanks VATooobsessed), not just an abusive psychopath, which was difficult to achieve in an all-human world. I really hope it worked._**

 ** _This chapter's been a long time coming – partly because I have had a lot of real life stuff going on (sickness, house sale - we have an offer - yay!), partly because there was a stack of research to do on the new setting/historical elements + pre-planning for the next 3 chapters._**

 ** _Marching meat - Rose was dirty about the idea of walking to Fort Henry beside Dimitri's horse like 'marching meat'. Seeing as there were no fridges available in the Civil War, buffalo were marched along with the troops when they travelled from one encampment to another & slaughtered for eating/pickling when the troops required some protein in their diets._**

 ** _Dimitri had a human slave in BP called Inna – so he needed a slave in this story too. I've called her Dinah as this was a common slave name - and was also used as a general term to refer to any female black slave (i.e. if you didn't know a slave's actual name you could just call her 'Dinah' and she would know to respond. Pretty messed up.)_**

 ** _In reply to the guest review from Sky: Great question! Girls did track their periods. Unfortunately, in the 1860's doctors were under the mistaken belief that women were most fertile when they had their period (like a dog in heat). A woman diligently tracking her period to get pregnant had next to no chance of conceiving, and a woman who wanted to avoid pregnancy probably ended up doing the deed on her peak ovulation days. History fail. Sigh._**

 ** _POSTING UPDATE: Thanks for all the reviews & prompts to post the next chapter. Sorry I haven't been online in a while. I moved interstate expecting to be on a cruisy extended maternity leave for another 6 months and ended up having to go back to work full time. I don't know when I'll be posting next, but I want to assure you I haven't abandoned the story. I have the plot all planned out to the end - just have to find time in my life to write again. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy all the other great VA fanfic stories/writers that are on this site!_**


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